Giving Up On Doctor Who (Why I Hated ‘Asylum Of The Daleks’)

Editor’s Note: Musician Alex Day brings us yet another reaction editorial, this time for the Doctor Who Season 7 Premier. He goes all out with both his opinions and explanation thereof, so it suffices to say – SPOILERS.

A while back, I wrote a post here on LeakyNews about the episode of Glee that broke my patience for Glee. The tipping point at which I think, “Okay, this is just stupid now and I don’t want to bother.”

Asylum Of The Daleks did that same thing for me, with Doctor Who, just now.

The episode was a complete mess. It was awful.

When it started, I loved it. I had a huge grin on my face. Dalek close-ups, the mournful secret Doctor doing his monologue after his newfound death to the world at the previous season’s close, then getting beamed up to the Dalek stronghold, Amy and Rory being bitchy to each other … Jenna-Lou showed up! Awesome! And that moment when Amy says “what can you do?” and the Doctor says so sincerely “what can I do?” was just beautiful.

And then the rest of the episode happened. It was, objectively, bad television. And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. Because it WAS bad television.

Let me lay all this out for you:

1) What Doctor Who character do you think of when I describe this: “She is a beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident woman who can do things the Doctor can’t”. Did you think of Amy Pond, Sally Sparrow, or River Song? Or did you think of the new character in this episode, who is exactly the same as all of these other characters? Objectively bad writing. She already has that idolising look, self-described genius to boot … I’m sick of this. You can just picture Moffat salivating. “A WOMAN! A brilliant sexy WOMAN! HOW EXCITING!”

No. How boring. You know what turns me on? Characters with dimensions.

2) Amy can’t have kids – and Rory didn’t know?! There’s this thing called the info-dump, where writers that aren’t very good at weaving information into an episode will just have a character spill it all out and it never makes any sense. This scene, which should have been great, was the most awful infodump I’ve ever seen. “I can’t have kids!”, said Amy. “I know”, said Rory. So Rory knows. So why is she explaining it? Amy just continues “ever since Demon’s Run they did something to me” … he should know that already! She is literally saying it for the AUDIENCE. Bad writing. Objectively.

3) Speaking of kids – does this writer have any original ideas left in his brain? We’re really doing the story of the Ponds having kids? Again? We spent all of season 6 dealing with them having kids. They have a child already! Her name’s River! Remember River? She’s exactly like the new girl except not new, remember?

Maybe you don’t remember, because another of Moffat’s recurring bores is plots about people who don’t remember things. Amy spent a significant portion of this episode trying to hold on to her memories. After spending all of season 5 having her memories manipulated by a crack and all of season 6 having them manipulated by the Silence, this is not interesting. Objectively bad.

4) Rory has always been the lapdog, but in this episode he’s just an idiot. Why is Rory so stupid in Asylum Of The Daleks? Example the first: during the tedious soap opera plot of Amy and Rory breaking up and then getting back together, it was revealed (in the awful info-dump as mentioned above) that the reason for the breakup was that Rory wants kids and Amy can’t give them to him. This is a HUGE deal. It’s something I’m surprised they were able to just gloss over without any significant conversations. It’s certainly a mature enough deal that, if I decided to go back to a relationship with that much weight attached, I wouldn’t stand outside the door punching the air and saying ‘yes!’. Rory’s better than this. It’s not a cartoon.

Another example: the ‘eggs’ thing. They made a point of saying that our new super-girl made soufflé, and at the end referenced eggs, which slowly change to ‘exxxxterminate’. Very cool. I liked this. But for some reason they insisted on setting it up even more beforehand with this stupid scene of Rory hearing them say ‘ex’ and going ‘eggs? You want eggs?’ – Rory, you’re not a moron, you know what it means! It’s the only thing they say, what the hell?

5) Speaking of bad setups and payoffs, there was an awful lack of continuity. Moffat had the Daleks call the Doctor the ‘predator’ so that he could show later the old Daleks still called him Doctor. Doesn’t make sense. When we last saw the Daleks, they called him Doctor. Why would they have just invented a new name for him? For that matter, when we last saw the Daleks, they were reinvented in stunning new colours. Rory’s ‘what colour?’ was an entirely valid question. A question the Doctor didn’t answer. Neither did the writer. Fine if those new colours weren’t popular, but you can’t just hide them away in the story without even a throwaway one-line explanation about it. Where did all these Daleks on that ship come from, and why are the new ones happy to put up with them when they previously blasted the old ones to smithereens? And the girl turned out to be a Dalek – what? “They did a full conversion”? How?! The last time that happened we had that ridiculous Dalek Human hybrid! Why didn’t that happen this time? I’m fine with lack of continuity, to a point, because I like that different writers interpret things their own way, but at least Russell would toss out a casual “they must have perfected the technology” line to explain it a BIT. When you’re noticing things and the Doctor isn’t, that’s not good. He should be better than us. That’s the point.

6) The Daleks forgot the Doctor at the end – that was a cool moment, for about five seconds, until then they all started yelling “DOCTOR WHO? EXTERMINATE!” – oh, so you made the whole Dalek empire forget who you were and then reintroduced yourself!? Well that was a smart thing to do! They’re not forgetting you now after you materialise into their ship, taunt them and then leave! And then – oh god – and then he spun around the console saying ‘Doctor Who!’ – IT’S HIS SHOW! It’s like he’s a fan of himself! You can’t DO THAT! And it was the EXACT same ending as the end of Season 6, right down to the Doc – tor – Who’ pronunciation at the end!! DO SOMETHING NEW OH GOD.

7) The Doctor does NOT have a big chin! Rory does NOT have a big nose! It’s fun for just Amy to make those jokes because then it’s part of her character, it’s what she personally sees them as. But Carla or Oswin or whatever doing it as well?? That’s just inaccurate.

This episode was meaningless superficial soap opera froth with no substance to it. It felt like it was just written for the fans who gobble up whatever they can gif and write ‘omg the feels’ tumblr posts about. It seems like the culture of those obsessed few has seeped into the heads of our showrunner and allowed him to get very very sloppy.

So as of now, I’ll just let Charlie watch it (assuming HE still wants to) and he can tell me if there’s anything worth tuning in for at any point. I’ll check it out again properly when Moffat stops showrunning. It makes me sad to see a show with such potential waste hour after hour on this fluff, and watching any more of it will only make me sadder.

Thing is, I think a lot of the British public agree with you. As do I.

http://twitter.com/ErinKarn Erin Karn

I agree with you, The doctor who bit at the end just sounded really naff. And I personally think Rory and Amy are getting a bit old, the doctor needs a new sidekick because in season 6 it seemed like they were running out go ideas, the same old almost kill Rory but nobody involved in the direct story line dies, not wishing people would die but i didn’t find it exciting because I new the result.

Aisling Greene

For the once in a long time, I don’t agree with Alex Day. Essentially, its a children’s show. Lower your standards or go watch something that comes on later on the BBC. At 17 I still loved it. It made me laugh and I like Oswin; she’s witty and fun and its a mystery how she can be a companion when she’s a dalek or more likely, the Doctor will meet her before and will know her end…

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658773743 Louise Werrij

Doctor Who is not a children’s show. I wouldn’t let my children watch it until they’d reach at least eleven or twelve. Well, yes, I liked it for the sake of the show, but Alex has some very valid points here. I’m not going to stop watching, but if Oswin turns out to be another River Song I will be really cross with the writers.

About the fricking’ Daleks though! I thought they were pure and didn’t have feelings, like the Cybermen? Hate is an emotion, it is not pure and cannot be perceived as beautiful by something without feelings because subjective reasoning certainly implies having emotions? And the point about the Doctor being hatefull: it’s so true with Matt. The previous ones were a lot less hatefull or at least only against the Daleks.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I resent the idea that a children’s show is allowed to get away with ‘lower standards’. Family entertainment should be the best entertainment.

Aisling Greene

I meant that Alex should lower his high standards that he holds for everything, not that Doctor Who should have a low standard of television

Alys:)

Well they say it’s a children’s show but it’s actually a twelve and it’s hard to lower your standards after an epic 4 series before Moffat:)

Holly

Nobody should EVER be told to ‘lower their standards’. EVER. Should we lower our standards or expect more from the people paid to produce content? What’s wrong with you?

als

So Amy, Sally and River (and now Oswin) are all “beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident” women? Yes. But does that make them all exactly alike? Not at all. By simply picking out these qualities you seem to suggest that this is all they are, and so they are essentially the same character. This really couldn’t be further from the truth. It is very possible for women to hold these qualities and yet still be very different from each other. In fact, I would maintain that the vast majority of my female friends have such qualities and yet they are all such personalities in their own right. Oswin is not “exactly the same” as all these other (female – although why that really matters I’m not sure) characters, and to say so shows some lack of understanding, I believe.

mmm122

Exactly. Amy, River, and Oswin are all mentally challenged in some way, but in very different ways. Amy has her childhood attatchment to the Doctor and her alienation from society in general. River is someone who is completely infatuated with the Doctor, which leads to her weaker moments (as a character, not quality-wise). Oswin is someone who is in denial with the reality that she has created.

Angela Jewell

Plus, you could even say the same about Rose, Martha, Donna, and Jack. All of them were considered brave, resourceful, opinionated, caring, clever, and special . . . yet no one would argue that THEY’RE carbon copies of one another. Like RTD, Moffat just has a certain mold he uses to shape his female characters, and though it’s not my personal preference, that doesn’t mean they have no personality or are so similar you can’t tell them apart. Each are unique in their own way.

lmao

“Rose, Martha, Donna and Jack” The fact that you referred to Jack as a female character is making me die with laughter at the moment. Thank you.

anna

Unfourtunatley, I agree. I avoided watching any S6 before watching this episode so I forget that this was probably as low quality as those episodes. Personally, I’m just really tired of Moffat’s writing, and all the sensationalising that he does. All that “Doctor who? Doctor who?” SO annoying.

Although I find myself disagreeing with you on the thing you said about Melody. If you think about it Rory and Amy were never really parents to Melody/River. I mean, Amy didn’t even know she was pregnant and she didn’t even get to raise her own child. So it would make sense that they’d they’d want a “normal child”

But that is a completley different issue in itself. Anyway, I find myself hoping that this will be Moffat’s last series

Bob

Does this mark the end of Chameleon Circuit? Or will you start writing songs about other subjects?

Meur123

He has been writing songs about other subjects for some time, bu I seriously hope that this isn’t the end of Chameleon Circuit :/ I guess there’s still Charlie, Ed, and Liam but it wouldn’t be the same.

Ruth

They’ve converted Humans into Daleks before, Alex. Thats how they worked in series 1. The human-dalek in series 3 was an experiment into merging the two, but they’ve been making humans into daleks the whole time. And Rory and The Doctor do have a big nose and chin respectively; I’d probably tease them about it. And I might of misheard, but I don’t think Rory said “I know.” Also, the new daleks were there as well, they were refered to as “Supreme.” So yeah. Otherwise, all valid points!

Sofie

Personally I didn’t like the way they made Human Daleks in series 3. It was very awkward and cheesy.

Ruth

Yeah, it was put-your-head-in-a-blender cringe levels. What I was saying is they’ve always had the Daleks converting humans, and thats what happened to Oswin.

Faith

Plus the big chin and nose are running jokes on the show…

Josie

I agree that the show has got to the point where it can be naff in places, but not that it has suddenly happened with this episode. The storylines have got weaker and weaker for a while – take the Adipose episode for example. However, this is not necessarily because the show has become worse but because, as Aisling said, it’s a children’s show. We have grown up and maybe it doesn’t seem so scary or so witty anymore, but we still watch it because we love the Doctor Who universe, characters and fandom.

Harry

Poor article, missing or twisting facts. Bad writing. Objectively.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

Perhaps. But I’m not being paid to do it.

Anne

So, it doesn’t matter at all that you put a poor article out there, in which you completely make a fool out of yourself, ’cause you’re not getting paid for it? ‘Cause putting quality stuff out there is too much effort if you’re not making money out of it, of course. Bad attitude. Objectively.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I felt that Harry was invalidating my criticisms – that I can’t criticise bad writing because (he thinks) I’m a bad writer myself. My counterpoint was that people pay Steven Moffat, they don’t pay me, so he’s more open to criticism in my opinion than I am.

But obviously I like what I’ve written or I wouldn’t have posted it.

Guest

Also, it’s an opinion piece? And I happen to like that we have engaged and opinionated partners like Alex. Bravo, sir.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

And it’s fucking disgraceful that you like what you have written. This is drivel.

I’m sorry your standards are so low.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

No, your fans pay you when they buy your material that you force down their throats every video along with your subliminal messaging about “Ooh my goal is to be #1 by the end of the year”. Saying that they have lower standards than you is disgusting. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. So because I loved the episode, I have lower standards than you? What an arrogant prick. Yeah Karen Gillan is DEFINITELY going to be in your video after you’ve just insulted her. The fact that you’ve piggy backed off Doctor Who for the past couple of years with Chameleon Circuit and then slag the entire show off is mental. I supported you and bought ‘Forever Yours’ to help you out. I wish I hadn’t now. Don’t count on making #1 this year after this. Unsubscribed.

Nerdfighter

And now you’re attacking him for attacking the episode. Lovely. Calm down.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

Not only did he attack the episode, but he insulted the cast, the writers and the fans who enjoyed it (myself included) Just because I enjoyed it, does NOT mean that I have lower standards than Alex Day.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

You seem to be forgetting that Alex made money by piggy backing off Doctor Who with Chameleon Circuit. He has a cardboard cutout of Amy Pond in his house that he bought with said money and is now insulting the fans. Of which are a lot of his subscribers. If I don’t like something, I don’t come on the internet and tear it to pieces along with the people connected to it and the people who enjoyed it. It’s the most retarded thing anyone could do. If anyone wants to know what NOT to do on the internet, this “article” would be it.

http://twitter.com/gwynethmark markysharky

You seem to be forgetting you came on the internet just now and tore something and the people attached to it apart because you didn’t like it.. So aren’t you doing the same thing ? Either take you’re own advice and don’t share your opinions or accept that this is exactly what people do on the internet and that you just did it too. Also obviously when he wrote those songs for chameleon circuit he was enjoying doctor who. Just because he made money partially thanks to doctor who in the past doesn’t mean he has to enjoy every single episode and never say anything bad about it now. Some episodes of doctor who are amazing and you sit there afterwards mind blown some aren’t, it’s a total hit and miss thing and different people enjoy different ones. You can be a fan of the show and not love every episode and you can be a fan of alex and not agree with everything he says. I personally liked the latest episode and very much disagree with his thoughts on it but i’m not gonna insult his career up to this point and unsubscribe from him because i have a different opinion.

mmm122

Their problem with it is his wording. He’s entitled to his own opinion. But insulting other people in such a way doesn’t get his point across and just insults people in general.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

No, it’s called defending myself and other fans when an arrogant and ungrateful douche bag like Alex Day thinks he’s superior than the fans that enjoyed the episode. Partially to thank? Partially!? No. Alex Day owes Doctor Who everything for Chameleon Circuit. If Doctor Who didn’t exist, neither would Chameleon Circuit. It’s not an opinion when you insult the people paying for your mortgage. If you were paying for my mortgage and I came up to you and said “I’m better than you”. You’d be just as angry as myself and the rest of these people who have supported Alex. It’s not about him disliking the episode. It’s how he has gone out of his way to insult everybody attached to the show and it’s fans, including his own.

Larissa

The thing is, he *didn’t* insult you, you entitled twat. lol He simply made a statement about his standards, which is not the same thing as telling you you’re unintelligent or your tastes are inherently “bad.” I can honestly say that, as someone who is studying film myself, *my* “standards” are much higher than those who don’t. Does that mean I’m better? No. It just means it’s harder to impress me.

Slow your roll, chief.

Larissa

(… Sorry. Have to respond to my own post. It won’t let me respond to yours…) If you’ve never personally studied the ins and outs of the technical and theoretical production of film, then it is safe to say that you and I have very different understandings of what goes into film/television production and what constitutes “successful execution”–just as someone who formally studies English literature and creative writing is more likely to be able to critically analyze a “classical” novel, such as Tess of the d’Urbervilles, than someone who simply read it for pleasure without ever having been taught how to “take something apart” in a critical fashion.

Again, it is not a matter of someone’s opinion being more *merited* than another’s. It’s not about saying, “you like this, but I’m more experienced and don’t, therefore you’re stupid.” It’s a matter of fact that as someone who knows how to critically interpret media and who has produced it themselves, their “standards” or “expectations” are going to vary from a layman’s.

Your God has spoken. Apparently. Seat taken.

liontiger14

I have no problem at all with Alex disliking the episode; it was his comment that if I enjoyed it than somehow I have lower standards for television than he does. THAT was the problem with this article.

mmm122

No, that’s not what he was doing. You misread his point. “Bad writing” was referring to how you failed to get your point across in an objective manner. Objectively. Like, his earlier points = his conclusion. That’s how writing works (you did that, but I’m giving an example). They aren’t a bunch of unconnected sentences without meaning.

Being paid does not have to do with anyone’s opinions at all. Like, Roger Ebert is paid to write reviews, but that doesn’t make his opinions any more correct or less correct.

Harry

I think most of your criticisms were invalidated when you used bogus facts, or at least poor research, to back them up. All the points have been well defended by other commenters (see Pierce (percypeetapotter) ) and shows that your article was actually a bullish piece about not liking the plot, or the direction you think the plot is taking. That is entirely fair enough, I could write a few words on Russell T Davis’ airy fairy approach, but disregarding it as “bad writing” is plain rude – not to mention the disregard to other viewers, which I reckon more of a misjudged attempt at humour.

I don’t think Steven Moffatt is any more open to criticism than yourself. Not being paid to write something is no shield for the backlash you clearly expected from such a provocative piece. If you put it out to an open forum then whether your getting a cheque at the end of it or not, prepare for it to be judged.

http://twitter.com/JoshWatchinTV Joshuay

Also, it’s an opinion piece? And I happen to like that we have engaged and opinionated partners like Alex. Bravo, sir.

And honestly, 51 comments and it crashed the site twice. I’m absolutely happy with this article. It’s opinion. It’s neither good nor bad. You either agree or you don’t. It’s that simple.

Maddi

There is a difference between giving your opinion and telling people they have a lower starndered becuase they don’t agree with you. I love Alex, his music, youtube clips, everything basically, but this was just mean.

Ruth

Also, Rory wanted KIDS. Not grown up women old enough to be his mother. It’s always bugged me how they never dealt with how much turmoil loosing baby Melody would put a couple through, and I feel like this is a slightly in-direct way of rectifying it.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

YES.

http://twitter.com/ClassicallyZo Zoë

It felt really cheap to just dangle the divorce in front of the audience and then have a very immature answer. Apparently Moffat appears not to talk to his wife. Because this is a talk I would assume they would have to have had after Melody, and Amy is SMART what in her brain said that Rory who stood by her for 2000 years would resent her for being unable to have kids. Assuming she still wants to raise kids there are MANY other options that she knows about. No one gets divorced that easily after being through what they have been through. It felt like a made up reason. I understand its a TV show, but after 2 seasons with them it doesn’t feel like it and if they were going to get divorced something major would have to happen. Wouldn’t Rory fight for his marriage? Amy kicked him out and he was like “well this sucks.” and didn’t try to rectify the situation?

Ruth

80% of marriages fail after loosing a child… I think she knows he wanted to stay with her and be childless, but she just didn’t want to see him unhappy. I got the impression she hadn’t let on the whole childless thing was the reason she’d kicked him out, and there were other things too.

http://www.facebook.com/rachel.henderson.33 Rachel Henderson

THANKYOU….I thought…I thought I was the only one.

Matthew Dunn

Totally agree. I stopped watching the show when Russel and Tennant left purely because the quality of the show sank in both acting and writing. The events described in your article make this episode sound like it was written for CBBC. Such a shame for something that used to be so great.

Tom

I agree with you on almost every point, but I still loved it, When it comes to Doctor Who I can look past all the rubbish bits (and there was a lot of that in this episode) and just enjoy the experience of watching it.

http://twitter.com/Nick_BD Nick_BD

So because I like the ep I am “Lowering my standards” and written for the fans like me who gobble it up. Very poor Alex.

Stacey Dougal

Pretty much! I guess we’re not ones to judge though, seeing as our standards of what makes good TV are obviously so low.

david

not the best episode ever but not the worst either

Jake

I actually really enjoyed Doctor Who. It was fun. Yes there were errors in the writing and it had a lot of cliche’s in it… but it was still fun to watch

Stacey Dougal

I’m not sure what to say really, as I personally really enjoyed the episode. As for the character of Oswin lacking dimensions I don’t think it was necessarily to completely introduce the character as we know she’s going to be a companion so we have future episodes to see her character develop and gain ‘dimensions.’ From what I remember when Amy first appeared her character wasn’t fully formed in the first episode she appeared in – we’ve seen different sides of her character throughout the show, as with any other companion. Personally I think there is a point to the female companions sharing those traits – The Doctor is obviously attracted to characters who are those things you described. He’s a self-described genius himself afterall, why wouldn’t he find this sort of person interesting? Intriguing in fact. I doubt it’s every day that he will come across someone who challenges him, who can do things he can’t – it’s all part of who he is. Not to mention Amy and River are mother and daughter so it goes without saying they have a similar personality.

The bit at the end might have been tacky, but I recall reading that we finally find out where the ‘Who’ in Doctor Who comes from in this episode so there you have it. It’s Doctor Who because everyone knows he is The Doctor but they don’t know anything other than that – not even The Daleks anymore.

miles

” I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. ” What? Just because there are some flaws you don’t have to get nitpicky about it and state that your opinion is the highest standard of quality. Yeah, this is what Doctor Who is. It has some shitty episodes, and it has some brilliant episodes. This one wasn’t very good, but it wasn’t terrible. I agree with most of your points to some extent but you’re overreacting big time.

Stacey Dougal

Agree with you here. Alex is entitled to his opinion and that’s fine but that statement was unnecessary and quite rude if I’m honest. I thought it was a great piece of television personally but that statement makes me feel as if I should feel guilty about having enjoyed it. Fair enough think it’s bad quality but to say that anyone who doesn’t think so has low standards is rude.

Opa

I actually enjoyed the episode, but still agree with everything you said here. The first thought I had by the end was that I just saw one long “Previously On” montage. I did like the idea of a Dalek asylum, but the whole congregation of the Daleks had already been done in Journey’s End and The Parting of the Ways. Oswin? Like you said, was basically River Song. The sympathetic Dalek? Done in series one. The chin and nose jokes? Completely overdone in series’ 5-6. And yeah, I hated the way Rory was written in this. It seems that Rory is always written as a lapdog unless he’s dying and/or a finale happens. And yet I still liked it and will definately be tuning in for the series; maybe I’ve been starved of DW for that long, I dunno.

Alys:)

Please don’t let this mean that you’ll leave chameleon circuit! That would be the saddest thing ever! I agree with you completely about this episode, and moffats writing just annoys me!:)

Emma

I agree with a lot of points in this article. I loved DW for a long time but a lot of episodes have no real good characters anymore. There is absolutely no difference with the Amy and Rory from their first season or this last episode. They even had a kid together and so much happened but they still seem to be the exact same.. It IS almost like a cartoon. They only aren’t wearing the same clothes all the time.

Also wanted to mention that a lot of series have the tendency to write almost only for the fandom and get very sloppy (see the show Supernatural or even Korra. same story) I just hope the big change comes soon, because they need it. Thanks Alex!

QED42

I agree with everything you said Alex with one extra comment. Nearly all the flaws you mentioned have been prevalent through out the writing of the show since it restarted. Some times it is worse than others but I think a lot of these problems have been building for a very long time.

fran

You think logically, and quite frankly, you did it well. I think what many of us did, or what I certainly did, was just go “NEW DOCTOR WHO EPISODE” and just went wild with feelings and look over it. Reading this made me realise yes, it did have many flaws, Oswin is a bit two dimensional, I was a bit surprised when I saw her in the episode, as I thought she’d be introduced later in the series. But yeah, the excitement probably overtook some fans.

Rachel

Completely agree with all of this! Another thing I didn’t quite get… the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were all talking to Oswin and she sounded like a human girl, but then at the end the Doctor hears and sees her as a Dalek? One thing I will say though- tumblr fangirls aren’t all just about “omg the feels”

C

Darling, I completely agree. The episode was lacking substance and profoundly irritating.

Ev42

The “I can’t have babies” line seemed, to me, to be more a “You idiot, of course I left you, you know I can’t have kids! How could I stay with you when I can’t give you this thing you’ve always wanted?” etc, rather than “I left you for this reason you need to randomly hear again: I can’t have kids!”. She thinks the point is obvious, he’s obviously not GOTTEN IT, so she reiterated… It happens in conversations, & really not unrealistic in a discussion like that.
It seems like they’ve had this discussion before, or something similar, and Rory’s come to the conclusion that he’d rather be childless with Amy than have kids with someone else, but Amy doesn’t want to keep him from having the kids she knows he’s wanted all his life so she did the “good” thing and let him go so he can find someone else that can make him happy and give him all he wants, not truly realizing that he’s OK with the situation… Just lack of communication, really.

The Doctor Who chant was, yeah, a bit OTT… & the Dalek conversion, definitely plot holey, which is disappointing, all things considered. Definitely not enough to get me to give up on the show, though.

Jay

I thought it was an amazing episode and a lot of this article is nit-picking that most viewers would happily dismiss. although I must admit that i found it annoying how the dalek self destructed in a different way to in the episode ‘dalek’!

Lake

Well I think his point is that he’s a die hard fan and that anyone who genuinely loves and has seen every episode should be disappointed. Yes, the average viewer won’t notice or care but he’s not the average viewer. I’m not the average viewer. And to people like us this episode was completely lacking the Doctor Who-ness we love.

Hap

Hey Alex,
I have to agree with you on some of the aspects. Initially I loved the episode. Then I thought about it. Honestly I was so pumped for the premiere that I think anything could have been thrown at me that was with Matt Smith hopping around as the Doctor, Murrey Golds sweeping orchestra in the background, and Daleks, I would have (at the time) been satisfied with. But I don’t want to be ‘satisfied’ with flat plot lines and forced character development. Come on Moffat. I’m disappointed that this episode was lacking the quirkiness and great writing it deserves. However I will not give up on this show. I’m still excited for the rest of the season and I have hope that Moffat will work some writing magic and understand the intelligence of the audience he is writing for.

Jade

Thank you for writing this, It would have made a much better article than the one above. You conveyed your opinion, which I agree with on some points, (especially the anticipation), but you did not feel the need to criticize others or give up on the show!

Anna

Even though a lot of what you pointed out is very true, I still think it was a wholly enjoyable episode. Despite the faults, it still contained a lot of everything I love about Doctor Who and Stephen Moffat’s writing. The plot was neatly woven in, with the ‘eggs’ thing working rather brilliantly and the twist at the end being just brilliant and trademark Stephen Moffat style. Every show is going to have a slip now and then. But Doctor Who has been quite consistently brilliant for years. I don’t think you should just refuse to watch anymore because of one sloppy episode. If that were the case, we’d all have given up watching at the Unicorn and the Wasp.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I did give up watching at the Unicorn And The Wasp. I got back in to it at Journey’s End.

Anna

Well then maybe it has the potential to pick up later in the series. All I’m saying is, I hope you don’t give up on it just yet.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I did say I’ll see if Charlie recommends any of the other episodes to me. I trust his opinion. We usually feel pretty similarly about these things.

Meur123

Come on Alex, give it a bit more of a chance. For somebody that’s in a band about Doctor Who, giving up on it after the first episode of the season just feels silly. Especially when the 50th anniversary is only just coming up next year.

Worst case scenario you’re going to end up watching a bad episode for 45 minuets. Do you really need Charlies seal of approval for that?

Jenny

To be perfectly honest Alex, it makes me really sad that I agree with your article. As a massive fan of the show, I have been impatiently waiting for the new series for months, and this was not a good start to it.
I’m not saying that the previous series had no flawed episodes, but this is after all the first episode, which is supposed to lure us back into the show and have us eagerly anticipating the next episode, but it did the contrary. I will not go as far as to say that I’m not going to watch it again, but I am very disappointed.
The thing that bothered me the most (besides the fact that I think it was utterly ridiculous to show Oswin crying even though she’s a Dalek – the core of their being is that they have no emotions) is something you mentioned already – where did all those Daleks come from? That was an insane amount of (old) Daleks, and simply cannot be left unexplained.
All in all, bad writing, and I find myself actually missing RTD, because Moffatt seems to have run out of creative ideas.
I will however continue watching the show, in hope it gets better.
Anyway, I’m glad I’m not the only fan who’s disappointed, so thanks for sharing your thoughts.
xx

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

Welcome!

http://twitter.com/TheSonicScrew Sean C.

I don’t get it though..like…how can you get annoyed by Oswin crying?! How is THAT what gets at you? Like can your mind not just explain this to you by going “well 1) she was converted from a human, 2) she’s in a Dalek ASYLUM…for crazy/imperfect Daleks who have faults, these faults being…emotions!”

I just don’t get how you can’t see that makes perfect sense!

And whyyyy is not knowing where the Daleks come from also such a MASSIVE issue?! I mean…would you prefer a line or two about how the Multi-Colour Daleks found some remnants of Davros’ new batch and started working with them?

Why not maybe accept that there’s this whole other Dalek element to the universe that has a story constantly evolving itself, just like the Doctor’s, and that there are other batches coming in to being in some mysterious way.

Having EVERYTHING explained takes the mystery out of things AND can also lead to an annoying amount of exposition.

Honestly…some of these complaints just seem extraordinarily silly to me.

Megan

I think this assessment is a little unfair. I agree with quite a few of the things you said. However I don’t think it was that bad. Besides Doctor Who is often riddled with plot holes but you just sort of over look them… because its Doctor Who. E.g. the slightly contrived Martha ‘oh she was my cousin’ link.
But I really disagree with your point about River. Yes she’s their biological child but they never got to be her parent. Their relationship with River was contorted until it resembled a bond of freindship rather than that of parent and child. Amy and Rory will never be able to bring up a child. That is a huge difference.

Sofie

Although I do agree with you on the majority of these points, and you do make great ones Alex, I crave your opinion; I did still enjoy the episode. Mainly for the entertainment of it. The show still sparks my imagination. But I do agree with the fact that Moffatt needs to step up his game if he wants to keep his viewers because the Whovians have been complaining.

Lana

I’m sorry, but I’m sure I am allowed to have liked this episode without feeling like a brainless fan just because you didn’t “approve” it. Yes, because apparently if the great youtube star Alex Day doesn’t like something, everyone else ought to agree with him; otherwise, you’re just stupid and have low standards. God, you’re just a snob.

Sofie

Although Alex does voice his opinions and standards fairly bluntly, I wouldn’t say that makes him a snob. People are entitled to their opinions – to be clear I believe you are reffering to the part where he says we need to highten our standards? – and Alex is one of those people who always steps up to share his with the world. I have to respect him for that.

Nerdfighter

I agree entirely. If you in the comments are posting your opinions, he in the article should be allowed to express his opinions.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

So express it like the rest of us. With his mouth shut or amongst friends. Not publicly insulting everybody who enjoyed it.

http://www.facebook.com/mynameissatan Lewis Christian

Agreed on some accounts, very much disagree on others. Simple as that. But each to his own

Grace

I’m just going to go ahead and say I agree completely with Alex

lucy p :)

From what i have found online after xmas is going to he liie a mini reboot. Perhaps you could try again then? giving up on something is never exactly fun :S

jim

how are you just noticing this all now? All of what you just wrote was rife in season six. Like…ALL of season six. But yeah I pretty much agree.

ShaneMcEntee

Matt Smith definitely DOES have a big chin. Many people who don’t watch Doctor Who mentioned this to me after looking at my Doctor Who poster.

Dr_Syn

He could certainly give Jay Leno a run for his money.

Jessica

This was probably my favorite 11 episode (berate me all you want, I will love Tennant more always, that aint changing) that doesn’t include River Song. I think Moffat wanted an exciting episode to introduce a new character (much like they introduced Donna in S3) but keep with the old, cause we all know the fans aren’t ready to let go of Amy and Rory. I think all of the Doctors companions will be interesting, smart, sexy, funny, loving, confident women. ALL OF THEM, way back to Sarah Jane Smith. 1. It makes good TV 2. That’s kind of the Doctor’s type, he would never take Glee-Brittany as a companion. I think we haven’t seen the last of the Amy-Rory fight, as a woman, I fully understand her motives for giving him up/the break up and get back together. It makes perfect sense to me! A little rushed… i guess, but we’re only one episode in, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Same time next week?

Patrick

I disagree with you on a lot of what you’ve said Alex, although I do respect that obviously some people won’t like certain things that I like, I do have to say that just because you didn’t like the episode doesn’t mean that the people that did enjoy it have lower standards than you and frankly I do agree with others when they say that that comment was rude and offensive, and although I’m not sure about certain parts of the episode, such as the emotions that the Daleks showed and the fact that Oswin was capable of retaining her humanity despite having been fully converted into a Dalek, I am willing to see how it is explained (if it is explained) in later episodes and I think you shouldn’t just give up on the series yet but give it a bit more time to develop who knows you could be pleasantly surprised, or your presumptions about it may be confirmed,

betsy

I don’t get it. Everyone can have their own opinion of this weeks episode. not everyone will love it. I totally respect the fact you didn’t enjoy it. but my problem is you don’t seem to respect peoples opinion of they enjoyed it claiming they have lower standards than you. that’s just really boring and annoying. some of your points are SO valid though. just wish you hadn’t insulted people for no real reason.

heather

Agreed. I didn’t get mad that he didn’t enjoy an episode. Thats fine by me. But insulting people for disagreeing bothered me and the fact that he gave up on it because of one bad episode. There have been worse episodes then this too. Some that are complete rubbish. So why give up with this one? Hey. I don’t like one of his videos. But i didn’t give up on him.

Georgie

Oh wow, I completely and utterly agree with every point you’ve just made. Come on Moffat you could at least try…

Molly

Ya , I don’t believe Alex wrote this.

Steve

in my opinion the problem is is that moffat tries to cram so many more ideas into his story lines compared to rtd. So in a 45 minute episode there will be elements of the plot that aren’t as well worked in simply because there isn’t enough time, like the amy and rory story in this episode. Which may be a reason Sherlock has become so much better recently.
I’m also pretty sure if russell was in charge of the last two series the show will have got waaaay too same-y as he didn’t seem as willing to take risks in the way moffat has with the story arcs controlling the series’. And i’d honestly rather have 6 hour and a half long episodes of good quality stories rather than 12 where there are some poorer stories and some that dont have enough time to develop, might even be cheaper.
And, alex youre getting older. Doctor Who is essentially a bit of fun, and it was again tonight. I know where you’re coming from with your criticisms though but if you went back and watched all those older RTD episode i’m sure you could do just the same. There were also a lot of things that were very good about the episode tonight!

Sarah

Thank you, Alex Day, for saying exactly what I was thinking without being afraid to get hate from overly obsessed fangirls who won’t let others have an opinion.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

Fuck you Alex Day. I agree with Harry, this is awful reviewing. Objectively.

Jade

Funnily enough I really enjoy watching your youtube videos. But when you produce something bad, or something that I personally don’t enjoy, I don’t write harmful comments and questions others judgment if they do enjoy it. When you do produce content I don’t enjoy, I don’t unsubscribe, I wait and see if I enjoy other videos, therefore I feel this article is too soon in the making. Give such a brilliant show another go?!? I feel that by stating that if people don’t agree with you then they have lower standards, is childish and spiteful. Yes Alex, we all know you are judgmental and sarcastic, but to question not only other peoples views but their standards is just rude. Just because you’re more widely known than other people doesn’t give you the right to make them, especially your fans, feel guilty about enjoying a TV show. I also think that it’s important to remember that it’s just that, a show. At the end of the day, is it worth insulting others (and giving yourself a bad name by doing so) for something that is ultimately put out into the world for pleasure??

melissa

to discuss your point of ‘this is too soon’, ‘give it another go’, etc…i think this was the ‘giving it another go’. i personally was very disappointed with season six, although it had a much stronger opener. i still felt as though much of its potential was wasted and i did not enjoy the majority of the season.

though, yes, it is rather dickish for someone to judge other peoples taste. if people like it, they can like it. i just won’t.

Kaitlin

I have to say I agree with a lot of your points, but I still liked it. It’s okay to like an episode of your favorite show even if it’s one of the poorer episodes. I definitely think Moffatt needs to go though, and understand and agree that his characters are all basically the same, but I think it was really rude to say that people who liked it have low standards. I’ve watched this show for seven years, I’m willing to stick with it even if there are some shitty episodes.

J

It’s okay to not like things, but don’t be a dick about it.

Lucy11iom

brilliant comment.

http://www.facebook.com/adamcbourke Adam Bourke

Its called the truth, the cold hard truth….

Danny

I’ve watched you from way back when you started, supported Forever Yours to an unhealthy extent, listened to VLR religiously and genuinely enjoyed a lot of your work and output for years. It’s sad it’s come to this.

I unsubscribed last month. Your videos were either about your music or demanding something like “Email Karen Gillan” (Which is a lovely thing to do considering you just tore apart her character in a heavy handed way), or about some awful socially awkward encounter/sex joke where 90% of the time you come across as a David Brent or Alan Partridge like character which is perfectly funny until it’s a real person.

Why am I telling you this? I didn’t. I unsubscribed and left it. I didn’t write a 7-point article insisting my opinion is the word of god and imply anybody that disagrees with me has awful taste. I just left it. I didn’t ignore most the following comments unless they agreed with me or provided a vehicle for me to try and make some profound statement on the quality of your work.

I mean for somebody that hates the Moffat series you did a great job cashing in with your recent Chameleon Circuit album, glad the Moffat era bought you a house. Did you write this infront of your Amy Pond cut out? That cut-out is realistic because as you’ve pointed out she has no depth anyway.

I’m not going to waste my time pulling apart your fact twisting criticisms as like the angry idiots on Outpost Gallifrey you wouldn’t listen and just get more insistent you had “won”.

When you were a kid making videos in your room about a shit day you had or whatever it was fun, you were one of my personal teenage escapes. Probably a big part of my life back then. Now you’ve become arrogant as you’re permanently aware of the audience watching. So you end up publishing nasty filth like this and actually believe that you’re right, it’s just nasty Alex. When an actual respected critic does this they do it in a way where it is fair and inquisitive while comparing it to existing merits. Not just violent hate.

But fine stop watching it, I mean think of all the other things you can be doing at that time on a Saturday? Watch Red Or Black? X-factor? What fun.

Good luck in life. Sorry Doctor Who has fallen in quality. I just watched a 4 year old, 8 year old and a 15 year old and a 56 year old gushing over the prequel and then episode itself. They must be as retarded as me, or maybe know it’s just a TV show. A magical, original and still totally unique TV show.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

Wow… are you me?

It’s like you just described everything I did… I also supported Forever Yours, I also enjoyed his content for years, I also unsubscribed a month ago because his Youtube account became an insufferable advertising outlet and I also did it silently without making a fuss with your same logic.

You couldn’t have put it more eloquently (which Alex could take a note a two from after this drivel).

tombomdoodle

You said what I struggled to say. Alex’s recent videos haven’t been as good as his older ones, which reminds me of something he said in this article… Odd.

tom

WAKE UP TWAT, HE IS PAYED TO WRITE THESE ARTICLES. He is payed to give his opinion. You chose to comment on something you didnt like about him, just as he is choosing to comment on something he didnt like about Doctor Who.

This has sod all to do with his youtube status, and everything to do with his status as a lover of a show that seems to have gone wrong.

siani marsh

Really, nothing to do with his youtube status at all? Then why aren’t I writing this, why isn’t anyone else. They pay him to do this because they think people want to read Alex Day. It has nothing to do with him loving the show, which you can’t really say he does if he is giving up after one episode.

Just gonna say – Alex is a known writer, as well as a known musician and vlogger. He’s written articles for tons of magazines and websites, regardless of his status. He’s a good writer! Just because you don’t agree with him doesn’t mean he isn’t qualified to write things like this.

http://twitter.com/JoshWatchinTV Joshuay

That, and he did what literally ANYONE ELSE CAN DO – he clicked the “Write your own Leaky News Story” at the top of the page, it was edited, given an image, and posted. Simple as that.

Silanda Anui

I was wondering how can you work out such fantastic thing, and now i know you really tried your best on what you like.Things will be good if we do that to the most.rs gold , runescape gold

http://twitter.com/BradAusrotas Brad Ausrotas

You could easily have written this. See the button that says “Write your own Leaky News story” at the top of the page? Yeah, that’s what Alex did. He clicked on it, wrote his bit, and we published it. He was not paid a cent, and it could have just as easily been you we published.

Diablo

I appreciate this comment.

tombomdoodle

I was simply stating that Alex was being hypocritical. Alex said “Does this writer have any original ideas in his brain?” Danny then replied that the majority of Alex’s recent videos have also been unoriginal, so therefore Alex is not really one to talk. I’m simply agreeing with Danny by paraphrasing. No need for the agressive tone.

george moss

This.

Katherine

You hit the nail on the head Danny. What a great comment. More succinctly written than the article too and with clearer and more objective points.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

I second this. What a dick. new Doctor Who episode: “Fall of Alex Day” anyone?

Larissa

… Just because he didn’t lick your boots, rub your belly, and tell you what a valuable member of society you are? Seriously? lol Do you NEED that? This is an opinion piece. Take it for what it is and move on.

Anya

I loved your reply. Exactly how I felt.
I understand your opinion Alex, but I’m disappointed on how you executed it. Have you no loyalty for Chameleon Circuit?

http://twitter.com/Pinkpoodle654 Meghan Burnell

Danny – Thank you for being able to say what I felt after reading Alex’s opinion piece. People may have their opinion’s but, I found it odd for him to give up after one episode that he found unenjoyable. I mean he makes money off of the Doctor Who brand. I could understand this article at the end of season 7 if he found the whole season unenjoyable but, now just seems shady. I just watched with two 3 year olds, two 9 year olds, an 11 year old, 14 year old, 17 year old, myself, my husband, my brother and my father and I could not have thought of better way to spend a saturday night with my family. There are so few things that can keep the attention or be enjoyable for 3 year olds to a 68 year old. It is great to know there are other families bonding over a magical TV show.

MaryKate

Amen. I was going to write something similar, but I don’t think I could have put it as PERFECTLY as you have here in a million years. This is amazing and complete truth. Thank you.

TimeyWimey

Oh God – you hit the nail on the head! I think I’m going to unsubscribe now.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

Because I don’t like the new episode of Doctor Who? Surely if you like my videos, you like my videos, I’m a little confused by this.

TimeyWimey

Ha ha! I originally subscribed to you because of Doctor Who and ‘Chamelion Circuit’. To be honest, it’s no surprise this article has motivated me to give up.

xiilnek

If your tastes and his have become different there’s nothing bad about unsubscribing. Do what makes you happy. But is there really a need to be so rude about it? I know this is the internet and anonymity makes people assholes, but jeez. The fact that you feel his videos are no longer for you doesn’t automatically make him an asshole.

Charlottieeeee

Well said Danny, couldn’t agree with you more

Hannah

Thanks for saying that Danny, you put it very well. I had also unsubscribed around three months ago.

I found that Alex was guilty of the thing he accuses Moffat of, just repeating himself. It was quite hypocritical to spend the hours in the run up to the show reminding everyone that Chameleon Circuit still exist, cashing in on the hype for the new episode, before tearing it to pieces.

I bought all the copies of Forever Yours on itunes. I feel that the success went to his head a bit (is that fair?) and he seemed to forget that it was off the back of the P4A, rather than an accomplishment all his own. He had all of Nerdfighteria behind him. He’ll have to just be grateful that they haven’t been laying into him as hard as he’s laying into Doctor Who.

I conceed that Moffatt has a problem depicting women, and very few episodes ever pass the Bechdale test. Parts of this review may be accurate, some criticisms I agree with, but it is not nuanced, and it’s not balanced or fair. It’s not good journalism, it’s just vicious.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I feel like a lot of people are overthinking this, and in turn assume I overthought it. In my head, I thought:

a) This episode was awful
b) Everyone seems to love it
c) There must be people out there who feel like I do so
d) I’ll write an opinion piece on LeakyNews to get my voice across

And that’s what I did, and then I got it out of my system and got on with other things. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and I’m going to stand by everything I said here or I wouldn’t have written it.

With regards to your points about my music/career/videos: I don’t think I’m repeating myself video wise, or I’d say if I am, I always have been (my videos from six years ago are the same as the videos I make now – silly stories and songs). But of course I’m absolutely not above criticism and if you weren’t enjoying what I’m making, it’s right for you to just stop watching and move on.

I don’t agree that reminding people of Chameleon Circuit’s existence before the episode aired is hypocritical because a) I didn’t know I’d dislike the episode that much and b) I’m still proud of Chameleon Circuit’s music regardless of its inspirations.

Of course it’s fair to say you think the success went to my head a bit – that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it – but I hope you’ll also find it fair to say that I disagree with you on that point. And if people did lay into me as hard as I’ve laid into Doctor Who – good! Variety of opinion is good. Far be it from me to try and please everybody. I’m not writing family entertainment on the prime time slot on BBC 1 – pleasing people isn’t my job.

fakeDIY

You are totally missing the point. I don’t think your opinion is what most people are upset about, even though you did state it in a really poor, abrasive way. (For what it’s worth, I wasn’t a huge fan of the episode either.)

The issue is that you directly insulted the people who don’t share that opinion, which is, quite frankly, very childish.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

Well I do apologise if you felt insulted.

fakeDIY

I wasn’t insulted, and there is no need to apologize to me.

As someone who highly values good discourse, I was annoyed. James Gordon’s comment is a very good one that sums up my thoughts well.

Jaime

I don’t understand why everyone is so upset. If you actually watch his videos, you should know how Alex is. He’s sarcastic; he’s crude; and he’s usually quite funny about it. Alex isn’t politically correct or polite. This is exactly how I would expect an article written by Alex Day to be. If you expected any different, you forget that he’s a real human being with a real personality entitled to real opinions and internet access. Just because he’s somewhat famous, doesn’t mean he should be more severely judged for his opinions or his way of giving them.

fakeDIY

There is a difference between making videos on YouTube for a particular niche and writing an opinion piece that will very likely be seen by those outside of one’s usual audience.
I like Alex’s videos because I can always appreciate some good snark and cynicism, especially when it is carried out in an intelligent way. But this is journalism, not vlogging. I didn’t expect him to be sunshine and rainbows, but I DID expect him to make a solid, smart argument, because I know he is very capable of that. But he did not.

The thing about cynicism is that it has to be handled very carefully, otherwise you’re going to come across as a toddler pounding his fists on the table. And quite frankly, I think Alex crossed that line when he tore down those who don’t share his opinion.

Jaime

I must have missed that part… I’m pretty sure he was just admitting to being excessively nit-picky at times. I think he wrote it knowing that people would disagree, so he was being preemptively defensive. I guess it’s up to interpretation.

fakeDIY

I’m not sure what your comment is trying to address?
I don’t have a problem with him being nit-picky – I never said I did.

But the standards comment reads like something born out of arrogance rather than defensiveness.

http://www.facebook.com/jrg1990 James Gordon

Alex, I think the issue people had (from reading the other comments), wasn’t so much that you disliked the episode – you’re allowed to dislike what the hell you like – it was the fact that you seemed to assume that because you disliked it other people weren’t allowed to like it.

Lines suggesting that your opinion is objective are ridiculous. No opinion is objective. An opinion BY DEFINITION is subjective.

Lines suggesting that (and I’ll quote directly here) “if you disagree I humbly submit that you have lower standards of quality than I do” make you sound arrogant and frankly a little juvenile.

If you want to stop watching the show: go ahead and stop watching. If you want to dislike the show, and want to write opinion pieces thereon, go ahead. But do not insult the people reading who disagree with you.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

Other people can absolutely like whatever they want! Hell, hardly anyone likes MY videos and I don’t care a cent about that.

I definitely think that, to a degree, there are objectively good and bad things when it comes to art. Most things fall in the middle, but the Mona Lisa, for example. It might not be your thing, but it’s objectively good. I felt like this episode of Doctor Who was objectively bad. (Just my opinion.) Most people disagree with me, and that’s why I said they may have ‘lower standards of quality’ – because they obviously don’t mind the flaws, or don’t see them. Perhaps I should have just said ‘different standards’ of quality because I’ve never seen myself as being above anybody else. I think it’s just a miscommunication born out of something I wrote quickly and didn’t pay much attention to because – as I’ve said in other comments – I just wrote it to get my thoughts out and then moved on.

Harry;)

I enjoyed the episode, I also see the points on why you didn’t like it – but I will still continue to watch doctor who and see how it turns up. Alex, you wouldn’t want to end the interest in a show that’s been going on for almost 50 years? Anyway, doctor who isn’t just about the story, I enjoy it because it’s one of the times I can be around my family. Also going off subject, I listened to ‘Forever Yours’ at a Pub, it cost 50p but it’s worth it. LOL XD

Happy Dude

“I felt like this episode of Doctor Who was objectively bad. (Just my opinion.”
How much mental gymnastics do you have to do before you can say something this contradictory with utter seriousness?

RandomContradictions

Speaking of Chameleon Circuit, are you guys over? I think I’m gonna cry, all the still got legs songs which I bought a month or two ago have over 200 plays already. :’(

steve

Alex, I’m going to have to agree with you on this one. The first 2 episodes were absolutely juvenile and dumbed-down. I thought last season was overall brilliant, but it’s like they decided to focus on the 14 and under crowd for season 7.

grangertheweasely

Supermegafoxyawesome. I hope Alex saw your comment and all the people who replied and said they agreed. It won’t really make a difference knowing how stubborn he is.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I don’t think I’m a particularly stubborn person. I also don’t let what other people think dictate what I think, but have replied to the original comment from Danny with my own thoughts.

TheHarriet

I totally agree with you. I can’t believe that Alex would criticize this episode, and Moffat so much, when Doctor who has been such a big part of his life.

For him to say that this episode was bad television and if anyone disagreed they have low standards of quality was completely preposterous. One of the beautiful things about television is that it’s fully a matter of OPINION on weather people enjoy it or not. He can’t just tell us that if we did enjoy the episode our opinions have less worth. I agree that his youtube videos have started to lack quality (of course this is just our opinion). He basically only makes videos now featuring him pleading with his audience to buy his songs so he can become more successful. I’m pretty sure that most of the people who are buying his songs are only doing it because he wants them too, and not because of the quality of the music. Soon enough people are going to get bored of buying his songs just so that he can prove to record companies that he can do it on his own.
Doctor who is one of the most exciting and wonderful television programmes that I have ever watched.

lexdysic

hey, theharriet (jones, former prime minister)! i see that there are
some things you might not have heard of, and those things are called
“money” and “advertising”! sometimes, people make a product, and they
want people to buy that product in exchange of “money” (pieces of paper
or metal that are given in exchange of good or services), so that they
can use that money to continue to buy food, water, electricity, etc! BUT
they can’t just make a product and let it sit there if they expect to
receive said money, so they have to “advertise” it! this can be done in many ways, including talking about their product on video sharing websites and encouraging the viewer to buy said product in exchange of money. there is also another exciting concept i would like to share with you! it is the concept that you can like something at one point in time, and then dislike the SAME THING at another point in time! for example: someone can like a tv show, or previous incarnations of a tv show, and it can be a big part of their life, but they can also dislike and criticize certain episodes, season, writers, characters, etc
of that same tv show, or even stop watching that show (even if it was
very important to them in the past)! once you become a fan of something,
you do not sign a document that legally obligates you to like everything about that thing, or never stop liking that thing. i hope that this has been informative for you and anyone else who might be confused about this situation.

Hannahw

He’s allowed to dislike Moffat even though he liked DW previously. It just means he liked it under RTD better. You don’t HAVE to like every season of something just because you like the show.

Kate

I applaud you.

EvilBeans

I absolutely agree. I understand if he dislikes this episode (I personally really liked it) but he was just vicious and condescending about it. As Alex said, this was for me the turning point to unsubscribe. I was hoping his videos would get better, but now that he’s just bashing the show that made him who he is now, I’ve lost all hope and most of my respect. I hope that Alex reads your comment.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I did read it – “bashing the show that made him who he is now”? I repect your opinion, but that’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? I’d say that’s fair to say that about Karen Gillan, or Matt Smith, or even maybe Steven Moffat, but … who am I now? A person who makes music and videos on the internet, and I was doing that anyway.

Natalya

Everything you just said was brilliant.

Collette

I completely agree Danny, at first I really enjoyed Alex’s things but now it seems that he can’t say anything without somehow making it offensive or rude. Slamming other people’s opinions just because you don’t share them is a dick-move and always has been.

Guest

@f4295de9634550c111f40199f8fee035:disqus” Slamming other people’s opinions just because you don’t share them is a dick-move and always has been.” Funny how that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Ellie

no, it isnt. you are completely missing the point; the problem people have with this article is not the opinion alex is stating at all but the way he puts down those who disagree

Emily

This was such an upsetting article for me to read. I do love Alex’s music and I did love his videos. I agree with what you have said and I agree with what others have replied but it all just leaves me feeling upset and betrayed. To have you criticize my favourite show, a show you Alex, appartentl used to love, is one thing. But to be told that because I loved the series opener, I don’t have a good standard of television and I am only interested in fluffy air headed things was hurtful. I looked up to Alex, I was a loyal fan, but not I feel like you have just belittled me to make you feel better. I also think that this has to do with his image. Hate on Doctor Who because it is an extremely popular show and he is above what the average person is. What a treacherous thing, to believe that a person is more than a person. And I feel like up until now I thought Alex Day was special and different, but Alex I think you truly believe that you are more than a person and that is not a good thing.

tardis2012

oh my god you are so right. “hate on doctor who because it is an extremely popular show and he is above what the average person is.”

Doctor Who is by no means a perfect show, we have episodes with Slitheen, daleks in manhattan, all those episode, yet this, when Doctor Who is entering its most popular series ever is the turning point? Is the “i’m done” point? I’m calling shenanigans.

Zac

Do you not see the amount hypocrisy in your comment? You end it by stating that Doctor Who is magical, original and still totally unique TV show which is your own opinion yet you say it as if it’s a fact and then go on to put down Red Or Black and Xfactor as it’s fact they are bad is a fact and imply that they are enjoyable by saying “what fun”, So what are you trying to say about people who do enjoy those shows? That they are stupid or ignorant or boring for enjoying those programs? Kind of similar for what had a go at Alex for doing. I Also don’t understand why you think you have the right to make a personal attack on him just because you disagree with him, which once again represents your own hypocrisy.

Furthermore I like the way you say that you didn’t say the things you did because you quite clearly did, please explain what you meant by that comment?

I don’t think you really understand the way Alex is writing here at all, you’re taking it far too literally and eve though it is his opinion it’s still meant to be funny and to entertain and you didn’t find it entertaining then you’re allowed to not like it as Alex is allowed to like the episode. You are arguing with Alex rather his article which is unfair to him and really has little relevance to Doctor Who?

Also you make comments about Alex not being as good as he used and draw comparisons the fact he as had gone down and he his comments about Doc who going down hill yet you also use the words “violent hate” even though when Alex Day started off doing exactly that and in years mellowed more. So what you’re saying is that he’s not as good as he used to be because he’s doing something he started off doing when you used to like him? Yeah nice one buddy.

Overall you’ve presented such a flawed argument and completely misunderstood the article to certain extent and just showed yourself up really but well done for making a fairly hateful comment disguised as something else.

EMILY

AGREED YOU ARE DOING THE SAME THING AS ALEX IS DOING THIS IS EXACTLY THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE. STOP BEING LIKE THIS TO HIM WHEN ALL HE DID IS EXPRESS HIS OWN OPINION. ARE PEOPLE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THIS ANY MORE
YOU ALSO SAY IT WAS RUDE TO SAY WHAT HE SAID ABOUT STANDARDS OF TELEVISION… BUT YOU ARE IMPLYING THAT X FACTOR AND RED AND BLACK ARE CRAP AND THE SORTS OF PEOPLE WHO WATCH THEM… WELL… AND I BET YOU THINK TWILIGHT IS A WORSE STANDARD OF BOOK THAN OTHER GOOD ONES…
WHY DO ALL THE COMMENTS HATING ON HIM FOR EXPRESSING HIS OPINION GET TONS OF LIKES UP AND THE ONES SUPPORTING HIM GET TONS OF LIKES DOWN
STOP BEING PIGS
AND
LET
HIM
EXPRESS
HIS
OPINION.

Luna Annalis

Emily, you need to calm down. It’s FINE for Alex to express his opinion. But it’s not fine to insult everyone who doesn’t agree with him–to their faces. That’s just wrong and rude. Saying that XFactor is crap is NOT the same thing as saying that the people who watch it are crap–and that’s exactly what Alex said. I’m FINE with Alex expressing how he feels, and I’m GLAD that he did–because even though I enjoyed the episode, I agreed with some of his points. But to insult us and degrade us in the process? That’s not fair. He’s just doing it for the attention now…because that’s what he does. He’s the “bad boy,” not caring how other people feel, saying bold and rude things just to get a reaction. I love Alex, and I love his videos and his music. But this really hurt, because I respect him…and clearly he doesn’t respect me. I’m not going to unsubscribe, because unlike our dear Alex Day I do have a concept of loyalty. But I’m not going to jump to watch his videos or buy his songs anymore. I have no reason to.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

That’s exactly what Alex said? No I didn’t. I simply suggested that if people liked it, they might have lower standards than me, because clearly I’m getting wound up over these little bits of the episode and other people are happy to accept them. That doesn’t mean people’s tastes are crap or that THEY themselves are crap.

http://www.youtube.com/TheConnoSaurus Connor Eves

Yes expressing his own opinion is fine but when he starts making comments on how people who don’t have the same opinion at him have low standards or assume that people who liked it are mainly tumblr people. That changes from opinion to kinda insulting. Im not one of those people who are saying his youtube is rubbish i still love his videos past and present. But this article is just filled with hate and over exaggeration

http://www.facebook.com/dawn.schoonover.1 Dawn Schoonover

My interpretation was different than your’s. I don’t think he meant to say shows like X-Factor were bad, but everyone who watches Alex knows he absolutely hates that show, and ones just like it. And “the way you say that you didn’t say the things you did because you quite clearly did.” What I took that as was Danny didn’t feel the need if he didn’t like something to announce it everyone, and demean those who disagreed with him, the way Alex is doing in this article. He did his over a month ago, he brought it up to prove a point, that you don’t have to go about complaining for every bad thing, you can just get over it, you don’t have to make others feel bad about themselves.

Elisabeth

I completely agree with what you are saying Danny. I think Alex’s videos have declined greatly in quality as well. I used to watch his videos with my friends and we would just laugh. Now all of his videos are about his music. I’m tired of hearing him talk about how good his songs are and his goals and stuff. He may want to the old Doctor Who back but I want the old Alex back!
Also Doctor Who is a wonderful show, but it is a show intended for kids. I’ve always loved it but it has never had great quality.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

You should definitely unsubscribe, then. The thing I like most about Danny’s post is that he stopped enjoying what I was doing, so he left. The thing with Doctor Who is you can get ‘old Doctor Who’ back if you rehired the old writers and cast but there’s no ‘old Alex’ – I’m a human who’s changed and I just wanna make videos about different things now, but I’m absolutely not forcing you to watch it if you don’t want to. It seems like you’re not having much fun hearing about my music, and I’m not gonna stop talking about it because I love it, so I will wish you well and recommend you watch crabstickz, who does all the funny stuff you could want and has no musical aspirations

Louise

There is no fact in any of this. Everything said in the article and in the comments are opinions. I just wanted to remind you all of this because in my opinion you all are taking it way to seriously.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

YES! It’s weird, isn’t it? I just wrote this post to get it out of my system and then closed it, then came back to all this mental debate. Nerimon didn’t like a TV show – we’re all still the same people we were a few days ago, blimey.

Annie

is it ‘mental’ to want to debate an opinion? I always thought that was the point of them, that discussion is where opinions thrive.. also there is the fact that this article was just gagging for disagreementand debate

RomildaV

I just want to say Alex that I totally see and understand your opinion, the flaws of the show are obivous and cliché – but I still liked it. Maybe it’s the waiting, the excitement, the self and world hate because there was no new episode yet, but I liked it. Yes, of yourse it’s getting old, of course it’s kind of the same over and over again! But it’s Doctor Who, and this show has always had flaws. We had episodes like The Unicorn And The Wasp – brr – and we had episodes like The Doctor’s Wife – sometimes it was brilliant and sometimes it was just horrible, but it’s still DW and I think I’m going to stick with it – for like, life.
But all the same, I understand why you didn’t like it, and I think all the people are freaking out because of the figure of speech you used, as in ‘lower standards’.

Sorry you gave up on the show though…

http://twitter.com/Sillyeb Emily

Yes, I understand Dr Who has problems, yes the new character is repetitive, yes the characters felt kinda out-of-character, and yes there where clichés left right and centre, but it’s a TV show. It’s entertainment. And although this has been said (really, really well) before but maybe your standards have rose. And I’m not saying this is a bad thing for everything, but this is a TV show, aimed at families. I think your worse than “the fans who gobble up whatever they can gif and write ‘omg the feels’ tumblr posts” because atleast they understand the point of it.

Audrey

I totally agree. I’m still subscribed, and have been a supporter, but not as much because I enjoy his current work as much as I want to watch it IMPROVE.

http://twitter.com/Duhur Daniela

in series one on the games station the daleks harvest human beings and turn them into daleks. The whole human dalek thing in the daleks in manhattan was because they we’re actually trying to make a human dalek not a dalek dalek. As series 1 proves humans can be turned into daleks if i remmeber correctly the dalek emperor says ‘only 1 cell in a billion is fit to be harvested’ but it can be done.

I’m not a big fan of your opinion btw because i really liked yesterdays episode but it was refreshing to hear such an opposed view, and it has brought to my attention some of the annoying little things that occur as a result of shoddy scriptwriting continuity etc. I shan’t be boycotting the show like you however.
xxx

Katherine Graves

I do completely agree with you there. But out of hope, I’m still subscribed for his channel. I hope he realises that his changed a bit from the Alex we knew a year ago. And trys to get back to his old self. I mean Charlie’s not changed. Neather had Hank or John Green much. They do advertise but they use it as jokes or put it in the description.
I still love him. Still a loyal fan-but he’s turning into a bit of an ass.
In addition, a 57 year man, a 15 and 16 year old teenagers, and 48 year old lady watched this show of months of waiting- we liked it. We missed it. We all have similar taste, true, my sister went off it as she doesn’t like Matt. But she still watches it and she likes Amelia, Rory and River. Even Oswin she liked, it took her half the episode to come round.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

As I said in the post, I understand that other people like it, I just didn’t. Clearly I’m the mad one.

kathy

Really people? This article has NOTHING to do with his YouTube career! He is writing his opinion on a show like anyone else can do, and its just coincidence that his opinion reflects others opinions of his videos! What is the point of bashing him- he is probably exaggerating and will watch the next episode. Also, its just ONE dissapointing episode! He made money off the seasons he enjoyed! Lastly, to all the unsubscribers, maybe you can’t except change. His new videos may not appeal to you, but why not to others? -kathy

Lucy11iom

Well Put.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

First of all, hello, and I don’t mind you unsubscribing – I’m glad that, because you weren’t enjoying my content anymore, you did something about it and moved on. I’m still very proud of what I make and if it’s not for you, that’s fine, I hope you’ll give my stuff another chance in the future but you could also have just got bored with it and that’s okay. I’m not doing it to please people. (I don’t think that means I can’t give criticism, though. It’d be like having someone say ‘I don’t like the new Gaga track’ and someone else saying ‘well what music have YOU MADE?!’ – not relevant. Everyone’s allowed to have and express opinions. That’s what makes the internet great and terrible, after all.)

If you HAD written a 7-point article tearing down my videos and saying people had awful taste if they kept watching, that would have been fine too. I certainly don’t expect everyone, or even the majority of people, to like what I do. I’m fortunate that I have my little corner of the internet where I can entertain some people from week to week and if they like it, they like it. (Also I should clarify, since that line is a popular point of contention: I didn’t say people had ‘awful taste’, I simply suggested they had ‘lower standards than me’. Clearly, if I’m getting this wound up about it and nobody else seems to mind the things in the episode I perceived as flaws, I -must- have absurdly higher standards. It’s a criticism of myself, if anything, that other people are at a neutral level and can let themselves enjoy stuff when I’m hardly ever satisfied with anything and end up having to write long rants on internet news sites. So I apologise for offending you with that statement if you misinterpreted it, as many seem to have done.)

I liked Doctor Who just fine when I recorded Chameleon Circuit’s music, obviously, so your paragraph about me ‘cashing in’ isn’t valid. In four years together, all Chameleon Circuit’s done is release two albums and zero singles and played no gigs apart from a one-off appearance at VidCon. Even the music videos aren’t made by me and there aren’t any for the new album. Cashing in? We’ve barely done the amount of work required to call ourselves a band, believe me if we’d wanted to cash in, you’d have known it.

(And the Moffat era didn’t buy me a house. Technically Twilight did, if you wish to be cynical.)

As for your point on me ‘ignoring comments’ – I apologise for making you think that. In reality I just didn’t check back. I really didn’t think about this too much. I think a lot of people are perceiving me as some crazy man high on his own power thinking ‘I will tear down this show! HAHA! I AM UNSTOPPABLE, LOOK AT ME’ – that’s not what it was. I watched some TV I didn’t like so I went online and wrote about it and then I closed the browser and moved on. I’m not in a fit of rage about it right now, when someone mentions Doctor Who I don’t burst into a verbal version of this opinion piece, I just forgot about it. I didn’t come back and reply to everyone who disagreed with me because I didn’t care enough about my own opinion to do so. The only reason I’m even here now is a friend of mine mentioned there was a lot of negativity on the article and I thought I’d check it out. But if you don’t understand or agree with my opinion or you think I conducted it the wrong way, okay, fine. Let’s agree to disagree and do something else with our time

Theoncomingwolf

I liked yesterday’s ep better than all of S6, but I definitely noticed flaws. It’s Moffat. I really miss the RTD era, and I’m hoping someone else takes over soon, before Moffat runs this show into the ground.
And for the record, not all of tumblr is like that. I follow tons of people who pay attention to what they’re watching and notice flaws as well as good points. I’ve heard a lot of what you said in your article from them already.

Kezza

Moffatt has hardly run Doctor Who ”into the ground”. It’s more popular than ever, judging by the ratings for The Snowmen.

I have been watching Doctor Who since it began with An Unearthly Child – I’ve never missed an episode – and yes, it’s flawed. That’s nothing new. I watch it because it makes me think, it makes me question, it makes me laugh, cry, get angry … no other show I’ve ever watched in my more than 51 years of existence has ever had a hold on me like Doctor Who does. And, for ME, it just keeps getting better.

I didn’t like Alex’s reference to ”standards” but it’s an opinion piece (not, as some people seem to think, journalism – I’m a journalist, so I should know).

I don’t expect everyone to love the same eps I do, or the same characters I do. For example, I never liked David Tennant in the role of the Doctor but I undersand and accept that millions did. I disliked Rose intensely when she was with Ten, yet millions adored her. I love Matt as the Doctor, many don’t. I love the classic eps – many have never seen them.

I don’t care about that – who likes what has never bothered me – it’s the vitriol I see in so many discussion groups which gets up my nose. For that reason, I will subscribe to Alex. I might not agree with some of the things he says but it would be a boring world indeed if people all thought the same way.

PS: Long may Doctor Who continue.

Chloe

beautifully put. took the words right out of my mouth.

Rachael

It’s a bit different when the licence fee goes towards paying Moffat’s wages. He’s employed to create something people want to watch, Alex Day works for himself and is paid by advertisers. Whether you watch him or not at least you’re not paying for it.

Anonyonymous

I disagree with some points therefore I must brand this article as badly written even though what the author has published is completely true.

In all seriousness, I think worst episode of New Who. I went there. Worse than Fear Her. Let’s see all those different daleks that we were promised! Oh look, five minutes at the beginning of the episode how fun. Notice how the Daleks didn’t actually kill anyone this episode? Just their own kind, which is bettering the universe. Also, what year is this episode set in? Because the Daleks forgot who the Doctor was therefore it must be crazy far in the future or past. Specify please Moffat!

We may not agree on much Mr. Day, but this is one thing I can wholeheartedly defend you in. Worst episode of Doctor Who since the reboot. Let’s hope Series 8 is better.

http://twitter.com/TheSonicScrew Sean C.

I’m sorry, but how in the hell can you say this is the worst episode since 2005? Just…no. Blatantly wrong. Worse than Love and Monsters?!

No. Way.

Angeline

I agree with Alex to a certain extent, especially how they just glossed over the fact Amy can’t have kids so they broke up. IT’S A HUGE FREAKIN’ DEAL!!!! Not something that can be discussed and resolved in the space of 30seconds (yes, I counted, don’t judge). Your statement of people who enjoy this must have low standards was quite petty, and honestly, you came across as a dick. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and the fact that I did, Alex, does NOT mean I have low standards. You can’t expect EVERY episode to be perfectly amazing, yes this one did have some flaws, but essentially I was very happy with it and it certainly fed my inner fangirl that had been not-so-patiently waiting for the past year or so.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

Alex Day, I have never lost so much respect for someone after reading a single article they wrote. You come across as a whiny, unintelligent fan with a serious superiority-complex. First of all, opinions are fine. I thought the episode was great, you thought it was shit. Fine. To repetitively state that your opinions are FACTS (‘objective’ ‘objective’) is not only incredibly egotistical but frankly stupid. Stupid.

Secondly, to state that anyone who doesn’t agree with you just has lower standards is doubly stupid, moronic even. Even the biggest trolls I have met on the internet don’t make such silly statements, whether it was a joke or not.

Thirdly, you actually make a few valid points (a few, don’t let this feed your ever-so-increasing ego), but nothing that would legitimise this shit review, let alone cause you to boycott the show all together. How old are you? 13?

Wow. I’m hoping this was written by some twat other than Alex Day. I feel like I’ve read the ramblings of a person with the mentality of an immature 13 year old. Disappointing to say the least.

Yellow

The ONLY part of this review that made me feel sad was the stab at tumblr users. We love you D: pretty much every thing else i agree with. The new sexy, witty, more clever than the doctor and over sexualised flirty female template is becoming insulting.

Tess

You’re definitely free to have your own opinion, and I’m glad that you have a lot of facts to back it up. But…one or two bad episodes doesn’t mean that you should give up on a show! You and Charlie liking Doctor Who is what introduced it to me! You’re an icon in the fandom, it would break my heart to see you entirely lose faith in the show </3

tombomdoodle

I’m kind of upset that so many people are hating this episode. Initially I loved it, but I no longer feel that way because people have ruined the experience for me. Sure it was a little confusing. Sure there were plot holes. But frankly, if you haven’t realised that’s how Moffat works, you really haven’t been paying enough attention. He’s done it since Series 3 – Sally has a picture of a weeping angel. What will become of her? He does it in Sherlock. He’s left us on the edge of our seats by the fact that we’ve all missed something, and he’s said that’s what we’ve all done with The Eleventh Hour and Amy and Rory leaving too. Moffat always ties up loose ends, but he likes to make you wait for them. If you aren’t a loyal fan, he’s not going to just explain everything for you in one episode, like RTD did, or by blowing up all the Daleks like RTD did. He likes to make us wait, he teases us. And I’m not quite sure why you’re so mad about Rory – he’s acting the same as he always has done. He hasn’t met the Daleks before, for a start! That’s why he didn’t know what “EX-” meant! And I’m pretty sure he’s acted similarly to what he did at the end in previous episodes.

I can’t be bothered writing any more. I rewatched the episode and I couldn’t enjoy it any more, simply because people, like you, Alex, had picked out faults, causing me to search for these faults, and in the back of my mind, it was like I was being forced not to like it. Why didn’t you complain when Moffat did actually write a bad episode? The Beast Below was pretty bad, and so was The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe. You gave them another chance though, clearly. But why was this such a huge step over the line? I’d love to hear why, when Helen Raynor’s episode was far worse. Anyway, I said I won’t write any more, so I will stop now. Just don’t try and manipulate people’s views again – I know when a programme I watch is good, and you shouldn’t be allowed to change that. And please, don’t make a video about this, because then I probably will unsubscribe. Good night.

Julia

I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion. If you truly liked the episode, you’d disagree with Alex’s points, ignore the faults pointed out, and simply enjoy the episode as another (albeit admittedly, not the best) work of Moffat’s. But the fact that you are now saying that Alex’s review has made you dislike the episode shows that you have accepted the faults that Alex has pointed out as true, and that you agree with his review. You can’t blame someone for convincing you that something is bad; whether you think something is good or bad is your own personal opinion and if someone else manages to convince you to believe the contrary then obviously that means you agree with the person’s arguments and therefore have no right to blame them for “forcing” you to change your views.

paddy

Sorry lad but that’s bollix…Rory has met the Daleks before and fought them so that point is completely shot out of the water.

Haven’t seen sherlock so i can’t comment about that aspect of your arguement but RTD got rid of the daleks in a way that made sense, Moffet just wants to play with them and is destroying what were once an awesome adversary

And if you don’t think i’m a loyal fan…i’ve watched all 785 episodes to date so i know what i’m talking about when i say that this episode was shite, smith is a twat and moffet is killing one of the best sci fi shows ever

tombomdoodle

Okay, I’ve just remembered he met them in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang. I’d forgotten about that. But RTD never got rid of the Daleks in a way that makes sense. First, the last Dalek kills itself. Suddenly, we find out that he wasn’t the last Dalek, but there is in fact a whole army of Daleks, and somehow the Dalek Emperor survived. Then, he wipes them out of existence. However, in the next series, he says “BUT FOUR SURVIVED!” with the Cult of Skaro. Then they disappear by using the Emergency Temporal Shift, and Caan also disappears at the end of Evolution by the same method. Caan then goes into the Time War, which had been stated as being impossible, and rescues Davros. Davros and the Daleks are then all destroyed by Donna flicking some switches, which lead Moffat to have to use the horrible plot of “BUT ONE SHIP SURVIVED!”, which I doubt he wanted to do.

If anything, Moffat has made the Daleks better, because (in Series 3 and 4 especially), they were laughable. Moffat has made them a real adversary once again, because in Series 3 and 4, they were laughable. In Asylum, Moffat revealed new features to us which we had never seen before – the Daleks’ concept of beauty, the nanocloud, he brought back ‘human’ slaves, the Parliament of the Daleks (I’ll admit I’d have preferred an Emperor), and the idea that some Daleks were too insane. I can’t wait to see what he does with these ideas in the future, but I imagine we’ll have to wait until the 50th Anniversary to see the Daleks again.

Well a loyal fan should realise that Doctor Who doesn’t always have brilliant episodes. Not all of them are great. If you believe this episode was so bad, why didn’t you stop watching when Helen Raynor made her awful Dalek story in Series 3? Or how about RTD’s pathetic Christmas special, The Next Doctor, which ruined the Cybermen by adding the CyberKing and Cybershades, but without bringing the Cybermats back? In fact, why weren’t you up in arms when the Cybermen returned in a parallel universe rather than Mondas? I respect your opinion that you think that episode wasn’t as good as some of the other 784 episodes you’ve seen. But I don’t understand the logic behind your point, when far worse episodes have been shown over the show’s history, and especially in the revival. Fear Her, from Series 2? With living scribbles attacking people? Love and Monsters, also from Series 2, with the awful Abzorbaloff?

And I can’t see how you think Moffat is killing off the show, when he’s created some brilliant episodes, and he is, in fact, making the show more sci-fi than it was under RTD. The Empty Child was thrilling and chilling. The Girl in the Fireplace had the right mix of humour and terror. Blink is an all time legend, and I think it was voted the second best episode of all time recently (behind The Caves of Androzani). Silence in the Library? Superb. And whilst he’s been in charge? The Eleventh Hour was fantastic, full of fun, and a great way to kick off his reign over the show. The Time of Angels built upon the greatness of both Silence in the Library and Blink to create an episode which was, in my opinion, truly terrifying. More so than Blink. Don’t you remember The Impossible Astronaut? Killing the Doctor off in the first episode is an extremely brave thing to do, and how he managed to pull it off in the end was genius. And when I say he’s made it more sci-fi, look what has been missing from the show under RTD in comparison to the show under Moffat. Time travel. Yep. And in fact, space travel too. Moffat has the show bouncing around all over the place – just look at The Eleventh Hour – 14 years passed in that episode alone! A Good Man Goes To War had the Doctor bouncing around too, what with him going to far-flung areas of the universe so as to round up an army. We never saw such adventurous things in RTD’s episodes.

I do not agree with your comment that “Smith is a twat” either – people don’t like him these days just because he’s not like the other Doctors, and specifically Tennant, but that’s because he doesn’t act like a human. That’s why he’s brilliant. Tennant was basically a slightly odd human who had a time machine, whereas Smith is a mad professor or “mad man in a box”, who can go from looking 20 years old to 900 years old in the blink of an eye. The emotions he portrays are so much greater than those of Tennant, in my opinion, simply because when you see him angry, you aren’t used to it. You don’t want him to be angry. Tennant, however, only really had one great anger scene, which was in The End of Time, after Wilf knocked four times. All the other times he was simply compassionate. Don’t get me wrong, he was great, but you can’t call Smith without any evidence or reasoning.

That’s all.

paddy

Sorry lad but that’s bollix…Rory has met the Daleks before and fought them so that point is completely shot out of the water.

Haven’t seen sherlock so i can’t comment about that aspect of your arguement but RTD got rid of the daleks in a way that made sense, Moffet just wants to play with them and is destroying what were once an awesome adversary

And if you don’t think i’m a loyal fan…i’ve watched all 785 episodes to date so i know what i’m talking about when i say that this episode was shite, smith is a twat and moffet is killing one of the best sci fi shows ever

paddy

Sorry lad but that’s bollix…Rory has met the Daleks before and fought them so that point is completely shot out of the water.

Haven’t seen sherlock so i can’t comment about that aspect of your arguement but RTD got rid of the daleks in a way that made sense, Moffet just wants to play with them and is destroying what were once an awesome adversary

And if you don’t think i’m a loyal fan…i’ve watched all 785 episodes to date so i know what i’m talking about when i say that this episode was shite, smith is a twat and moffet is killing one of the best sci fi shows ever

Kate

I agree that Oswin persona is getting rather old, however I feel like this episode was, while not the best, a good opening episode. I hope it will set the stage for more exiting episodes in the season. The Dr. Who bit at the end was amazing though.

george moss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6H4gkErt4 2:10 to the end of the video.
Don’t think it uploaded my comment for some reason, so i’ll condense what I said just incase know one saw it. Look at it like this Alex, and cheer up. I didn’t actually mention how rude you were in your other comment, so there it is. If everyone had your miserable outlook, we would be unsubscribing to your channel in droves after every not perfect video. Lighten up mate

Brooke

While I haven’t given up on Doctor Who, I agree with everything you posted.
Amy and Rory’s drama was absolutely ridiculous. First of all, they couldn’t have come up with anything less overused than the whole “I can’t have kids” scenario. It seemed like such an easy fix to a couple that actually has other issues that can be addressed.
Like, Rory feeling like he loved Amy more than she loved him. Even if he’s wrong, he still feels that way and the “I love you enough to let you go” is just a quick fix. It hasn’t fixed the fact that Rory still feels like Amy doesn’t feel the same way he does. And I really do agree with him. Amy does have these great moments where it shows just how much she loves him (especially “Amy’s Choice” and “The Girl Who Waited”), there many other episodes where her love is not obvious at all.
Which brings up the problem of Amy. I really do feel like she has no agency, what so ever. Her own emotional storylines are sacrificed to the need of the plot, 9 times out of 10.

And the second Oswin showed up, I cringed because seriously Moffat? A new sexy, cheeky flirty young companion? You expect us to be impressed when those are the only female characters you give us? Wow, I didn’t want some completely new and fresh, who maybe interacted with the Doctor in a new way so we could see some different character dynamics. Not at all.

And then the whole story of the Daleks. Apparently, with the Big Bang 2 that happened at the end of season five, the universe restarted and most of the the pre-Moffat whoniverse happened, only with certain things altered (or something like that). Basically, Moffat gave himself a way to retcon anything he didn’t like from the old series. So I think that’s his way of writing off any continuity error. Sloppy but it gets the job done.

Anyway, this isn’t the most disappointing episode, though thoroughly underwhelming as an opener, but not upsetting enough to make me turn away from Who, just yet.

tombomdoodle

Oh, and about Oswin? She was only introduced in this episode. Don’t expect to know everything about her straight away. What’s to say Moffat left some features out on purpose?

Pierce (percypeetapotter)

Excuse me Alex but I must say I was actually offended by
this article. I don’t want to start a hateful spat between me and you but
rather a simple discussion like civilized human beings. First of all I
understand that as an article writer you may receive some negative feedback for
your own point of view but please understand I simply want to try and reassure
you that Doctor Who is worth watching because it hasn’t become predictable or
stupid. So to do that I’m gonna address you point one by one.

1) 1) The beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident
woman. Yes it’s true, Oswin was all of these and every female companion had
these characteristics to some degree but you can’t completely judge her to be
the same when she hasn’t been properly introduced. She is set to be the next
companion of the Doctor so if we assume this is similar to River’s story (and
it may be completely different, you can never tell with Doctor Who) then this
is the end of Oswin’s story and this is her fully developed character so now we
will experience her at the beginning which may be a reclusive, self-conscious,
awkward woman. That’s the thing with Moffat’s writing you just don’t know what
will happen.

2) 2) Yes this is a bit of an info-dump but remember
it’s a new season and any previous information given to us needs to be reiterated.
And remember, when Amy gave birth to Melody, her and Rory were separated. Now
anyone who has gone through personal trauma doesn’t want to discuss the matter
until they are ready (I should know) so the complete details of Amy’s
experience may not be known to Rory. Also during Amy’s speech once she said “I
gave you up…” Rory began to say “I didn’t…” but Amy interrupted the train of
thought was never completed meaning we still don’t know the full depth of this discussion.

3) 3) Now Kids, first of all they haven’t had a conventional
upbringing of their child. Melody was taken at birth etc… and essentially Rory
and Amy must want that, a normal childhood for their normal baby that IS an original
plot line because previously it wasn’t about wanting kids it just happened.

4) 4) Rory was his usual self; the big deal of not
having kids would’ve happened during the months that Pond Life glossed over it’s
even shown in the last prequel. Also Rory hasn’t actually met the Daleks, there
was one possibility: The Pandorica Opens and he was an Auton. So Rory not
understanding the Dalek catchphrase is actually completely justified. It is
also not the only thing spoken by Daleks as proven earlier in the episode.

5) 5) Not lacking in continuity, Predator is listed in
the Dalek files yet they still refer to him as Doctor when talking to him. Also
in the background of the Parliament the newly refurbished Daleks are seen in the
back. Also the full Dalek conversion is entirely possible, what you forget is
that Dalek Sec did a Dalek-to-Human conversion which is entirely unheard of as
Dalek where built to be perfect however a Human-to-Dalek conversion has
happened in fact Skaro himself converted each of his single cells into Daleks.

6) 6) Yes, it’s cheesy but the end of Season 6 showed
the Doctor saying he needed to be forgotten and this episode he had been
forgotten it’s an entirely different aspect!

7) 7) They are entirely noticeable features especially
in a fish eye lens such as the Daleks, Rory’s nose seemed extended when he
turned away from the camera and CLARA isn’t the only person to point out his
chin. River also commented on it before so it is not specifically Amy’s joke.

You are allowed your own judgement obviously but you’re
forgetting that a TV show that’s ran for almost 50 years and is now on its 33rd
series is bound to feel similar if not a bit repetitive. But you should give up
on Doctor Who, Clara/Oswin’s story is bound to be original as it’s HIGHLY
doubtful Moffat will copy his storyline for River. So please don’t lose interest
yet.

Robertjm

How can Oswin be the next Companion when it turns out she was a Dalek at the very end of this episode?

Well, remember that Moffat killed the Doctor at the beginning of Series 6. He then brought him back by using the, frankly brilliant, idea of having the Doctor be inside the Tesslecta. This is a similar situation, it’s something to keep us with the show, so we find out how she survives in the Christmas special, or perhaps later. It may well be this series’ story-arc.

Heather

Oswin isn’t. Clara is. Jenna-Louise Coleman plays both.

http://twitter.com/respectivating Respectivating

^Like how Karen was in an episode before she played Amy.

Morgan

Jenna Louise’s companion name is Clara Oswin.
In the past, yes companions have played other roles on Doctor Who before becoming the companion. But they are always minor roles. Karen was a member of the Sybilline Sisterhood and Freema played Adeola, a worker at Torchwood. These are minor roles. Not the focus of the episode…

I really liked the episode before I read this, but now I think I only liked it because of the anticipation of a new season and because I have a tumblr (dont get me wrong, I love tumblr but it’s true). I agree with almost everything Alex said and feel like I would have said the same thing if I didn’t have Whovians on my dash telling me how great it is and making absolutely brilliant theories and connections (which are probably just coincidences) all the time. The writers are just relying on the fandom to bring them up way higher than they deserve and are really slacking off. I kind of regret reading this, in that it’s made me disappointed in one of my most favorite things and made me feel like a blind idiot just following the crowd, but for the most part I’m really thankful because it made me realize that I’ve been forgetting to think for myself and that is very essential in a good life. I’ve been bitch-slapped and saved by Mr.Day yet again

Lizzie

You forgot about the fact that the Doctor seemed to not even hesitate to destroy and ENTIRE PLANET filled with life forms. It may not have been him that pulled the trigger but he didn’t even try to look for a way to save them. The daleks may be the Doctor’s “greatest rival” but I miss the Doctor that didn’t kill the bad guys and would try his best to find any alternative to killing.
At the very least he could have felt some remorse for assisting in the destruction of the whole damn planet.
He didn’t even seem that concerned about leaving oswin to die.
HE DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO SAVE HER AND HE COULD HAVE.
What happened to the Doctor? ): It’s fine to change his personality but what have they done to his morals?

tombomdoodle

The Asylum covered the whole planet, he hates the Daleks, and he has never said he wants to see them live. Why would he want to save them? Also, he didn’t kill all the Daleks – it was the Parliament who killed those on the Asylum, because they feared the Daleks would escape. The Parliament was untouched by the Doctor, in 9 and 10′s series’, they would have all been wiped out. He couldn’t save Oswin. She was a Dalek. She was like Yvonne in Series 2 – she had a personality that survived the conversion. We’ll see her again, mark my words.

http://twitter.com/MelodyPonder Bad Wolf

alright, personally i loved the episode and it was very smart of me to read this after i saw it. i definitely agree with everything you said. i do. but i still find the episode very fun and exciting. or maybe its just because i’m still too much of a fan girl of the show to really see what you’re saying. i mean. idk. i do agree. but i don’t think the episode was bad. i liked it.

Elizabeth

I agree with everything you had to say, Alex. My standards for Doctor Who have already been lowered since Moffat took over, but this episode generally made me cringe.

Emily

Alex, thank you for being completely true to yourself (jesus that sounded lame) but I mean I’m happy that you wrote how you really felt about the episode. And to everyone who is bugging Alex, HE IS IN A FREAKING BAND ABOUT DOCTOR WHO! If anyone has a right to have a valid opinion, it’s him.

Personally, I disagreed with some points in your article but overall you shed light on aspects of the episode that bothered me and I couldn’t quite place why they did until you explained it. I wanted to thank you for laying out your ideas of the episode because I couldn’t quite figure out why it was such a disappointment to me until I read your points and they made it clear to me. My standards for the show have significantly dropped but I will continue to watch because I suppose I’m hoping it’ll be the Doctor Who I know and love (my friends and I started a Doctor Who club at our school).

Looking forward to your new projects, Alex. I’ve been a fan for years.

nope

For you, sir.

does it really need saying?

I’ve read through so many of these comments, and I guess almost everything that could have been said, has been said. But I’m going to say them again anyway.

I respect your opinion, Alex, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But when you say that people who do like this episode have low standards and speak less of them because they enjoyed the episode.. that’s just rude.

Personally, I really liked it. There were flaws, but I thought it was entertaining and well done. And just because I like this doesn’t make me less of a fan, or not as intelligent as you. The fact that I’m okay with your opinion, and you aren’t as okay with mine, makes me the better person… but thanks for making me feel like a lesser person for a while. That was very nice of you.

Alice

It is so bizarre to me that the criticisms of this article are personal criticisms of the author rather than criticisms of his points. Playground taunting does very little to support an opinion of any kind.

Artemystique

I actually entirely agree with your points about continuity and explanation… I thought many of these to myself when I watched it. Still soaking it all in, but I concur–it was very sloppy

While some moments made me swell with satisfaction, it was (to make a long story short) objectively quite underwhelming. And it was flat. And I refuse to get oh-so-excited about it JUST because it’s the new episode of Doctor Who. It didn’t really snatch me up so well this time.
I do disagree a little about the female lead thing, and here’s why: the Doctor’s companions are always young females with strength and spice. We aren’t surprised she’s female, and she must have more dimension that we yet see from the first episode. Amy is very different from River, who is very different from Donna, who was different from Martha, who was so different from Rose, etc. Hopefully by the next episode, we’ll see the inevitable difference between her and the other companions.
However, I also personally refuse to give up on it. I was impressed by last season, and I have at least some faith that there has got to be something really amazing coming. It is too bad that the series premiere had to be so sloppy, but I care about the show and I won’t stop watching it yet. I don’t like to give up on something after one uniquely, exceptionally negative experience.

Larissa

YES TO ALL OF THIS :I

Ps. “I don’t like that you don’t like everything I do! UBSUBSCRIBED! HAHAHAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT!?”

… Really? lol

Robertjm

It’s interesting you saw Oswain’s character as rehashes of others. While I agree she acted like River, I actually thought more about Jenny. If you can stand to watch it again, listen to the way she speaks. Look at the mannerisms on her face. She also has the same body type as the actress that played Jenny. I was waiting for her to say surprise, it’s me. I just regenerated. Of course we know by the end that’s not going to happen.

The whole Rory/Amy fight at spat at the beginning bugged me. If it turns out to be an ongoing plot point, so be it. But it makes it look like that’s the end of it as she moves in with him.

At least the promos for next week look really cool. So he meets Nefertiti? Now wouldn’t she be a cool companion for a couple of episodes?

Sonja

There’s always a recurring theme or phrase or image in each season, be it the crack in the wall, bad wolf, or the panel sliding open. I think that the ‘doctor who?’ quote will be this season’s theme, and at the end or for the 50thanniversary, the question will be asked at the fields of trensilore, and we’ll find out the answer. I think Moffet intentionally has the Doctor say it like that, to draw the connection. Please don’t give up on Doctor Who! Yes, it has it’s plot holes some times (a lot of the time if you watch carefully) but that’s why we love it! You suspend your disbelief and fall into the Who world! I love that you always state your opinions Alex, and I agree on some points, but I think you should wait a bit longer before making quick judgements.

Maggie

I actually agree whole-heartedly with what you’ve said. I was very underwhelmed by this episode. Hopefully this season will get better, because my emotional attachment to Amy and Rory Pond is going to force me to watch the first half regardless of quality.

Honey

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, especially with how it jumped right in after a relatively long Hiatus. The bit with Amy and Rory made me cry, and I’m not ashamed of that. But if Alex didn’t like it, so what? He doesn’t have to. If he feels that I, as someone who DID like it, have low standards, whatever. I don’t know Alex, he doesn’t know me. And this, friends, is called civility.

heather

I agree that it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t like it. That is fine by me. It made me mad, though, that he claimed that people who did like it had low standards because that’s insulting someone, EVERYONE, who he has not ever met before AND It angered me that he gave up on doctor who because he didn’t like one episode. There are a few of his videos that I didn’t like. But I didn’t give up on him. Now, i’m considering it.

heather

Ok. So you didn’t like an episode. Thats not whats making me mad. Its making me mad that your giving up on doctor who because you didn’t like this episode. Hey, I dont like one of you videos. Should I give up on YOU?

Ann

I’ve been watching your videos for a while now Alex, and although you make some funny stuff I have stopped respecting you as a person. You’ve become arrogant and rude, you don’t appreciate your fans anymore, you don’t respect people who have different opinions, and frankly, your videos are getting boring. It sucks to have to feel this way about someone you once admired.

Victoria

I agree with you about the Amy and Rory things. As much as I love the characters and the actors, I’m ready for something new. But I will be crying like an idiot when they leave. However, that being said, I absolutly love Moffat and his writing style. I love the way he has a plan for the final episode of the series and plants little hints and connections to it through all the other episodes. It’s nice to go back and rewatch and catch the easter eggs. I want to see the Doctor be the focause. I like seeing the dark side of him. It reminds me just how much he needs a companion to keep him sane. But next week looks good. I’ve been waiting a long time for dinasaurs and I’m finally getting them. =)

https://twitter.com/Spazophie Spazophie

I agree with a lot of the stuff you’ve said here, especially what you said about the female characters on the show right now, who are unrealistically flawless, in contrast with the insecure female characters of the Davies era. The serious errors you pointed out irked me while watching it, it because it is TERRIBLE serialisation. I think this illustrates that although Moffat is a great writer in a lot of ways, he seems to have a very short attention span that makes him incapable of writing character development over an extended period of time, or makes him pick up and drop plot points all over the place. A lot of the things you pointed out irked me during the episode, but didn’t prevent from enjoying it, because that’s just the way I watch TV I guess. I think you have made valid points, though, and the show could be so much better.

http://twitter.com/kubs_ Raquel Gouvêa

Okay, you showed your opinions as everyone should.
This episode, for me, was good, it had it’s flaws (as season 5 and 6) but it was good, no amazing or mindblowing, but good.
But I’d like to ask you to rethink your number 6. You complain about the “full conversion” and remembers the conversions on the 3rd season in NYC (which happens with isolated Daleks), but you might want to remember the 1st season finale, with Jack and Rose and the Dalek Emperor, he used humans to make new Daleks. I count that as a full conversion.
Also, since you talked about the NYC episode, do you remember that the Dalek Hybrid had human emotions? (and talking about conversions… there have been more then one converted Cyberman that did not lose their emotions)
What do you think?

Nerdfighter

I agree with you wholeheartedly on every point. What I don’t understand is why everyone is hating you for putting out opinions. Though it is surprising as this is coming from the guy who (for the most part) invented Trock, people are allowed to have opinions and share them. I’m sure loads of Whovians agree and disagree with some of your points. Some of you need to either grow up, or calm down.

Jade

I think you misunderstand why people are angry at Alex. People are annoyed because he is insisting others, not just the show. What he’s doing is rude.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

Opinion is something different entirely. What Alex did was insult every single person that enjoyed it (including myself) claiming that we must have lower standards than him. Not only that, he’s made enough money from Doctor Who through Chameleon Circuit and is now happy to slag the show and it’s cast off in a distasteful and colourless way

kianna

I respectfully disagree.
I thought this episode had a lot of merit and Oswin was an interesting character and it was nice to see someone challenge the doctor, and as for her not having any flaws SHES A FREAKING DALEK. What could be a bigger flaw? She was great enough to over come it and that’s why she is a good character. I did agree that Rory had his rough patches but that scene where he tells Amy that there relationship is about him loving her more was just perfect. I don’t think its very nice to make fun of people on Tumblr that make gif or say “all the feels”. I don’t personally but people who enjoy the show want to express it in different ways and there is nothing wrong with that.

Katie

I feel like that’s a bit harsh. With a show that’s been around for so long, there’s bound to be low points, such as, “The Wasp and the Unicorn” and “Love and Monsters.” It wasn’t the best episode, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. Considering that it was only the season premier, I feel as though you might have given up a little too quickly. But if you really can’t stand the idea of sticking it out a few more episodes, I can respect that. We all get fed up with television shows at some point. I still enjoyed reading your opinion, even though I don’t completely agree with it.

bee u

I thought the episode was weak but I didn’t hate it. I believe that tv shows have their bad episodes much like musicians have their bad songs, so I’m going to carry on watching it. It was very confusing and the writing was rather dodgy at the end but I liked the new character though It would be great to have a not so overly confident flirty female, I think that is why I loved Donna so much. I’m sad that it made you this angry but hope it proves you wrong and comes back fighting in the next episode.

Jessie

I agree with all of your points. I think that Moffat has dropped the ball a lot recently and the points above are definitely the reasons why. I think when he wrote Blink he was at his best. We were given a new plot, character development however fast paced the episode was, and a really great episode. While RTD did have some misses too, it wasn’t as frequent or as bad as this. This was the START of a new series, you would think he would want to make the episode fantastic. I think it started off really well as you said. I love the whole crazy big scale of this episode and I think that could really be worked in their favor, but once the story progressed, the plot holes and problems above came to my mind. I constantly found myself going why are we doing this or not explaining this or explaining to much of that. I think that Jenna is a really great addition as an actress and even though she followed the Moffat “strong women in tv” rules of smart, gorgeous and flirty, she still had potential, I mean a really smart computer hacker? That’s a really cool companion idea, but then he completely just left her off and dismissed her “smarts” and talents with the line that was something along the lines of “Oh of course you’re a genius, you’re a dalek”. I’m gonna stick around and see how the rest of the episodes play out but if it doesn’t pick up at all this season I’m done and then you can let me know if Charlie thinks an episode is particularly good haha! I would love to stick around for the new companion because I do love Jenna, but if they are going to reduce her to nothing again or go with a Riveresque storyline, then it’s really too bad because she has so much potential.
Thank you for the great opinion piece!

Shamhatter

I would just like to say that these comments are among the most civil, intelligent, and grammatically correct responses I’ve ever seen on the entire internet outside of professional academic debates. I’m so proud of you all :’)

Oh, and also I agree with many of the flaws of the episode that Alex points out. However, despite this underwhelming first show I am definitely NOT abandoning Doctor Who. Just wait a bit. I still have faith in Moffat, yet

Ann

Having spent a little more time on the internet now I have come across the fact that Dan Howell loved the episode. It’s rude enough to call your fan’s standards low, but now your friend’s too?

Lancifer

Grrr! Someone said something we disagree with, let’s get him! Grr!
Grow up people.
Alex, I was feeling much the same watching tonight. I just hope it gets better! AotD didn’t live up to the hype of the trailers, much less the show as a whole.

Ann

Well Alex also mentioned that the people who liked the episode have lower standards than him, that is what is making people angry.

Lancifer

If people are going to take something like that so personally, good luck with the rest of your life, you’re going to be pissed off a LOT!

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

Not really, as people don’t generally attack people in an article. Maybe in the Daily Mail…

Ann

I felt more hurt by his comment than angry, Alex was once someone who’s opinions and ideas mattered to me. To have someone who you admire(d) say you have low standards is very hurtful.

Courtney

While I understand and somewhat sympathize with (some of) the points you raise here, Alex, I am more than willing to overlook what I see as minor flaws and enjoy the episode as a whole (or at least smile and nod and move on to the next episode). That’s what I’ve done in the past, with episodes like “Voyage of the Damned,” and that’s what I intend to do with every sub-par episode in the future. The idea of the Doctor and the travelling and the companions is far too valuable and appealing and magical to me to just give up because of so-so writing.
That said, I have some qualms with “Asylum” that you didn’t mention in your article which I want to bring up here. First, didn’t anyone notice that Moffat seems to have completely reused the whole “companion dies before the Doctor truly knows her” plot? Assuming that Jenna-Louise will return, this situation has already happened with River. She “died” in the Library episodes, before the Doctor knew her, and then returned as a rather prominent character. Oswin even gave hints that she knows the Doctor (Hastily saying “Never met you before” — paraphrasing, of course), so it appears that they will meet in the Doctor’s future but her past — just like with River.
Secondly (and this complements some of what you mentioned, Alex), the transition from the first four episodes of Pond Life to episode five and “Asylum” seemed quite forced, to the point of being unrealistic (and I’m assuming that although it’s a sci-fi series, the writers want to be realistic when it comes to relationships; of course, success has varied). Really? We go from “happy, loving couple, a bit exasperated by their strange life, but coping well” to “angry and spiteful and let’s get a divorce and then make really horrible comments about each other and Rory’s going to flirt with this random girl”?! I think this just really shows the difference in Moffat and Davies’s respective aptitudes. Steven Moffat is great with the timey-wimey and the quirky, but if you want realistic portrayals of emotions and relationships, you need Russell T Davies.
But! As I said, I overall enjoyed “Asylum” and am willing to give every episode a proper chance!

2. By feeding the audience, do you mean not beating around the bush for half a season?

3. By recurring themes, do you mean that Daleks are not boringly recurring, but forgetting trauma is?

4. By Rory isn’t that stupid, do you mean he was totally sober-minded and thinking straight whilst dealing with a half-year’s progression of a poor relationship? Or that he was thinking clear as a bell after falling however far into a pit of insane Daleks? Is the notion of insane things asking for eggs ridiculous?

5. By valid question, do you mean relevant and important? And by continuity, do you mean a hive mind concept that envelops the old AND new Daleks? By the last time, do you mean when they were infected with human DNA, but not fully-grown bodies? Do you mean NOT wearing meat suits?

6. By beginning how it ended, do you mean continuity? By the Doctor reintroducing himself, do you mean setting up a world where the Dalek’s remember him and therefore have a place in seasons to come?

7. By a part of Amy’s character, do you mean that the prominent features of the actors can only be discussed by Amy, exclusively? Or has the Doctor always pointed out these features, such as ears, or bad skin, or long hair, or having a big chin?

Sorry, Alex. You may need to clarify these things, otherwise I’ll file you under angsty and implacable.

Courts

I agree with most of what you have said, the episode was a bit of a let down and there were many plot points that don’t quite make sense to me, especially concerning Amy and Rory. I mean, you’d think they’d put a bit more thought into getting back together then what they did (although I am still glad they did), and you’d think the whole Melody issue would have affected them much more then it did and it was stupid that that was pretty much ignored after they found out she was River.
Also, the new companion was just too good, everyone has flaws and it was stupid to make her come across as perfect.
And the thing with Rory and the egg was just plain stupid. If a 16 year old observer can understand that the Dalek was saying “ex” surely the character who had actually encountered the Daleks would have known as well.

But, I don’t believe this is enough reason to scrap the show completely. Remember that episode “Love and Monsters” during season 2? That was definitely much worse then “Asylum of the Daleks” but wasn’t enough reason to stop watching. Every show has those episodes where you just wonder what on Earth were the writers thinking. I mean, the entire season 8 of Smallville was terrible, but season 9 was still brilliant so I think that just goes to show that Doctor Who can recover from this episode.

bookworm1118

I personally loved the episode, but I disagree with one thing that you said. Rory has never actually seen a dalek. He was an auton in The Pandorica opens/Big Bang Two, which is when the daleks were around. Rory made an assumption that they were asking for an egg shaped object on the ground. He has no way of knowing they’re going to say exterminate. While it seems obvious to a viewer familiar to the show, it wasn’t to him.

Bethany

This has a few good points, but i think the main thing you’re missing is that Amy and Rory never had the chance to actually raise River. Sure they may have seemed like parents to her growing up, but in no way is that a replacement for raising your child. It makes sense that a happily married couple would want to have kids that they could watch grow up and be a family with.
This was really the only thing I thought you kind of missed the mark with.
And in my opinion, Oswin seems much more likable than Amy or River. After all, she was wearing Converse.

Jade

Very David Tennant of her!!

Jessica

So because I liked this episode of Doctor Who should not mean that myself or anyone has standard any lesser than Alex; to say that was plain rude even for his normal arrogant self.
I must admit that I enjoy some of your music Alex but does this make your music a crap quality because I enjoyed Asylum of the Daleks? In your supposedly faultless opinion it does.

Jacinta

Oh, Alex. I’ll still like you even if you don’t like this episode. But it still makes me sad.

I agree with all of your points once pointed out, but I choose to enjoy the episode for the sheer… sheerness of it. It’s a new episode of Doctor Who!! Yay!

Arthur(no, not THAT Arthur)

Sir, the fact that you admitted to watching Glee completely makes everything you’ve said afterwards invalid.

guest

and now it seems as though you’ve become the kind of person so many people in the comments are complaining about, somehow implying that if they like(d) something you don’t (as in Alex formerly liking Glee), then they have lower standards than you (and apparently invalidates their opinion as well)

Arthur(still, not THAT Arthur)

Totally and completely missed the point there didn’t you? It was a jab at the very condescending attitude this writer portrayed in this diatribe of his. But I know that trolls aren’t clever, so I understand where you’re coming from.

I have a question to ask, are you a fan of Glee? Seems like you are being rather defensive of that as well.

Sure why not

The biggest thing I agree with you on is number 1. I’m not a fan of Oswin because she’s not interesting. But number 7 is completely false, sorry.

http://twitter.com/adrienie Adriene

“And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. ” Apparently Nerimon’s opinion is the end-all, be-all.

Drew

Alex, you used to be awesome, but let me just say that you are beyond WRONG about all of this. You misinterpreted every single moment of this that you possibly could and really just let this episode go completely over your head. I’m really disappointed in you, and well as the massively dropping quality of your YouTube videos.

mmm122

Okay, being dissappointed with someone because of their opinions is bullshit. I completely disagree with his points, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less of a person than he previously was. This is an OPINION.

bookworm1118

I’m okay with everything Alex said except for where he mentioned that if you liked it you have low standards. I disagree with his points but still respect his opinion. He’s not respecting mine.

mmm122

Yes, I agree with that 100%. But many critics over exaggerate and put forth their feelings before courtesy. If one was to take this literally, then yes, there is some respect to be lost, because everyone has a subjective view of quality (which is also a matter of opinion). But I choose to take it in a different light. The feelings vs the courtesies, because it gets their point across better.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

No…Just no. “It was, objectively, bad television. And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. Because it WAS bad television.” This entire paragraph is completely unnecessary. He’s claiming that his opinion is law. Alex Day does not govern what is and what isn’t bad television. He also does not govern how high or low my standards are.

bookworm1118

It depends on what light you take it in. I see your point, but I’m a little bit worried he meant it differently. It feels a bit wrong to me, especially because I just saw a tweet he posted last night promoting Chameleon Circuit. LeakyNews retweeted it after he posted this article. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

I agree, it’s disgusting. He’s so ungrateful

bookworm1118

I was talking about this with my friend though, and she brought up a good point. It seems like Alex is trying to get a reaction out of us, and he succeeded. He might not even really agree with what he’s saying. (Some of it is really nitpicky/incorrect.)

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

Really REALLY not impressed with his quality of standards comment. He has got a reaction. He’s lost a shit load of subscribers and pissed off a lot of people that won’t be buying his music anymore. Talk about a backfire if that is the case

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

Why not? We’re all less of a person for enjoying the episode, according to Alex.

Mary

I didn’t hate this episode as much as I have hated other episodes since Moffat (I still don’t think Big Bang 2 makes any sense). I agree with a lot of your points, except for the one about Amy telling the audience – I think she was just explaining to Rory why she had kicked him out, not reexplaining to him what happened. It served the purpose of informing us, but I think it fit into their conversation. I didn’t like Oswin as a character, but I thought it was interesting that she was trapped in her mind in a Dalek body, but I guess technically her mind is still human. Anyway, Big Bang 2 made me want to give up on Moffat, and I guess I have lowered my expectations of him since then, so I’m going to keep watching the show and hoping that it gets better. I wish they would have gotten a new showrunner a while ago, though. The worst part is watching the Behind the Scenes interviews and having Matt be all like, “Moffat is such a genius!” and Moffat be like, “I am such a genius!” It’s annoying.
Anyway, writing from America. So, thanks for objectively defining all of the plotholes and flaws in this episode, but I hope you give the rest of the series a chance after all. I want another Chameleon Circuit album.

Kristyn

There were some stupid moments in the episode, but I think it is going a bit far to give up on a show you were previously a fan of based on one episode. I actually really enjoyed this episode. I do think that the new companion will be interesting. I am curious to see how she will be brought back. It also seems like she is not from present day England which will be a nice change for the series. I encourage you to at least give the show a few more episodes before you give up on it. You are part of the band Chameleon Circuit(which I love) so it has always been obvious that you are a fan. It is hard to believe that someone would give up on Doctor Who over one episode. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and you did make some valid points about the episode. Even if you didn’t like this episode it was still much better than some other episodes we have had since 2005. Fear her, Love and monsters, Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the daleks are all episodes I thought were terrible, but they didn’t make me hate the series. We all have episodes we love and ones we don’t care for. This has just been my two cents.

Helena

To be quite honest, I found Alex’s review refreshing and well put. As he stated, many people tend to automatically like Doctor Who episodes because they’re Doctor Who episodes. And, with all the build up for this one, it was a bit of a let down. As time goes by, Moffat seems to have sunk into a sort of “formula writing” when it comes to Doctor Who. Which is disappointing, because you can tell he has potential from his earlier episodes. But bringing to life another cheeky, gorgeous, genius, River-esque character was not needed. And every problem magically seeming fixed with little to no explanation. And the Daleks completely forgetting. So not only was Alex’s response a refreshingly honest opinion, it was well thought out and organized, and he posted it despite knowing it would lead to conflict between him and other Whovians. Kudos, Alex.

http://www.facebook.com/emilinecline Emily Lynn Cline

I agree it was not the best. But to give up on DW altogether? That’s being a bit dramatic. There have been so many bad episodes and none of the fans deny that. This is not one for the history books, but it is a beginning, hopefully, we will get back to the standard eventually.

http://www.facebook.com/audrey.king.752487 Audrey King

As much as I love Doctor Who I’m going to have to agree with you. I was at first, really not looking forward to Amy and Rory being replaced and then when Clara/Oswin showed up I was comforted by the fact that she was essentially the same as Amy/Karen and now I realize that even though she’s replacing Amy, she is BECOMING Amy and that shouldn’t be like that. I want a companion with substance, and their own personality. The whole run through of the episode was one of those typical scenarios with the same setting and RORY, OH MY GOD, RORY! I agree completely, although he has been portrayed like this before, it was just over the top and the Doctor was careless as well although these things could all be essential in tying the whole thing together in the next episode, but we’ll have to wait and see because if it continues, you might just have to make your own show. It could even be a parody and the Doctor could be a girl this time and it could be called “Doctor Hoe” Too far? Yeah, too far. Thank you for writing this article Alex.

Fox

Hi Alex I totally don’t want to bash you. I thought the first episode was Brilliant and I wasn’t bored for a second. I kind of understand what you are saying but I don’t feel like any of those things are reasons to get fed up with the show. I say you should give it a chance. And if it’s feelings that people have been “Hi-jacking your cool” (As John Green said it), then I understand that too. Sometimes things get extremely popular and then it just doesn’t seem special anymore. But hey, If you wait it out and really think about whether you still like the show, the characters, and the awesome, then maybe it’ll get better. Maybe you will realize you really don’t want to watch it anymore. I’d just stick around and see. DFTBA, Alex.

http://twitter.com/ColeyT Nicole Thompson

Well, I’d first like to say that I agree with Danny below. Maybe you’ve changed, Alex, or maybe I have, but either way, it doesn’t really matter.

Anyways, I think that what you neglected to mention was the potential this episode had. It could have shown the Doctor’s colder side. It could have shown how little sympathy he has for the Daleks, even ones like Oswin who still have humanity. It could have added more depth to his character. Some real flaws. It touched on that, barely, but it could have done so much more.

I think people respond to untapped potential differently. I think that some people appreciate the work more if it has potential. Others are disappointed because the idea wasn’t explored fully.

Either way, though, I think it’s important to acknowledge the potential that was there.

Yagmur

People in the comments talking about Alex’s videos… this is not about that. You can’t lecture him or tell him your opinions on his videos on here; that’s what the comments on Youtube are for. This is for disagreement on the EPISODE OF DOCTOR WHO, not where you can attack Alex’s own content and production. He has opinions, you have opinions. Feel free to tell him your opinions (as he kindly invited you to do at the end of the article, so he wasn’t being a dick about it), but don’t insult his videos on here. It’s irrelevant and immature.
I think what Alex said about the showmakers getting sloppy because of their fans is true to a certain extent, but I still enjoyed the episode. However, if I was a new viewer and this was the first episode I’d seen, I would not be impressed. And if people start watching from this episode on, I feel like they’ve missed out on a brilliant era of the show. I hope they go back to that.
That is all.

Yagmur

Also it does seem like Alex has a bit of an ego, but he’s blunt and voices his opinions eloquently. It doesn’t affect you, he can do what he wants – not because he’s “some big youtube guy,” but because he’s a human being. You can do and say what you want too. Leave him alone for it.

Caoimhe

I take it you won’t mind that when I unsubscribe to your YouTube channel, I won’t just do it, but will also write an extensive article about all the things wrong with it and then insist that anyone who doesn’t agree has lower standards than me, will you Alex?

Diana123098

The only reply I have to this is to maybe stick around. The thing about Moffat is, from what I’ve noticed, he likes to play with timelines. Everything gets explained later on. At this point, I’m not sure if it’s because he legitimately forgets to tie up loose ends and then has to do it later on, or if he plans it all out from the beginning. But it usually ends up fantastic by the end, which is why I’m still watching.

I have to say, I kind of agree with some points in the article. There was some pretty bad writing in the episode, but it shouldn’t be compared to Glee. Glee has a long history of bad writing that lacks continuity; on Glee, the pattern just repeats, over and over again. On Doctor Who, these things happen occasionally, and most of it gets explained of rectified. Or both. So even though I was disappointed with this episode, I’m going to stick around. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Season 6 opening, but eventually thought the overall season was genius. I’m hoping this season will be the same.

SixIfYouCountTheLion

In this article, Alex has pointed out several details which shouldn’t have been ignored and some continuity which was left out for no apparent reason. This episode seems to be the start of the mass change of this show from being an intelligent British show to one created for an audience where everything needs to be spelled out. While I agree with some of the finer details of this article, I really don’t think he was right in his decision that this show is now terrible television and that we are daft to be enjoying it. Overall, this could be a mediocre episode but that is not reason enough to slander what could still be a fantastic show in future episodes.

mmm122

Human-Dalek conversion has been around for ages in the Classic Series. Like, this isn’t anything new. At all. It’s been successful before, though it’s basically what led to the Renegade-Imperial civil war. But because it’s been done by crazy Daleks, that really doesn’t matter.

On the subject of continuity: remember that time where Terry Nation retconned many aspects of his own creations to create a more fulfilling Genesis of the Daleks? Or that time they said Susan came up with the TARDIS acronym? Or that where Skaro was destroyed and then the events were never spoken of again? (You can explain these away, but these explanations aren’t IN THE STORY, much like this one)

I honestly think this episode has done more with the Daleks than RTD has done in his last 5 years. Sure, there are a lot of Classic serials that do it better, but this one actually brings something interesting to the mix. It’s not just the same formula anymore (nor is it the cheesy religious Daleks or some bullshit). The Asylum gives a fresh spin. Yes, it has some dramatic flaws, but you blow them way out of proportion.

The kids thing is pretty much common sense. Having someone who was born from you and then taken away until they grew up is not having a KID, it’s giving birth and then someone popping in on you with a family attachment. You could say, “oh RTD has the Daleks invading Earth every year, use different ideas!” Or you could say, “oh many historical episodes of Doctor Who have nearly the same formula, use different ideas!” Or you could say, “oh RTD uses those convoluted prophecy things EVERY FREAKING TIME NOW.” It’s a matter of perspective.

Obviously, you could go for the “Moffat writes all women the same” argument, but there’s a lot of oversimplifying there. You could easily say that “John Green writes all women the same,” but while Margo and Alaska share similar character traits, their roles in their respective stories are different. Similarly, Irene Adler in Sherlock was much more effective than Sally Sparrow (god I hate Sally Sparrow).

Another thing, I was seriously not very invested that the episode would be of high quality, but I was surprised. Like, I absolutely hated the two-parter that opened S6, but mainly that was the abysmal pacing, the terribly executed plot, the convoluted script, and the lack of distinction between arc and story. There are many flaws in Asylum, but there are also many stylistic and narrative choices that simply enhance the story as a whole. The pacing is very good and the atmosphere was wonderful.

I’d love to have an educated debate, but your wording claims I have lesser standards than you. No, I merely have different standards.

mmm122

Final thing: Where were you when the actually terrible “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe” happened? Or “A Christmas Carol”? Or “Voyage of the Damned”? Or any Christmas special for that matter. (Except “The Christmas Invasion”, which is slightly above average)

Daniel

“Feel free to disagree with me in the comments below.” I thought we weren’t allowed to disagree? ”
And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do”

It’s quite arrogant and very self righteous to assume that anyone who disagrees has a lower standard of quality than you, it’s like me saying “I like Justin Bieber and anyone who doesn’t like him, has a poor taste in music” which isn’t true, I’m not a Bieber fan, though that was the only example I could think of on the spot. Although I do think a lot of your points weren’t very good, a lot of people have already pointed that out, and gone into more detail, so I’ll just stick with the one part of this review that I hated, that you belittle anyone who disagrees, saying your view is superior, I’m telling you this as a tip, if you want to write a good review in future, state your opinion and then open it up for discussion, don’t state your opinion, make a claim that you have a superior intellect to anyone who doesn’t agree and then open it up for discussion.

I feel anyone writing a review on anything should have an open mind, and shouldn’t say something as self righteous as ‘if you have a different opinion to me then your instantly wrong, and you have a lower standard of quality then me’ If you didn’t like the episode then that’s fine in my books, and if you wanted to say why you didn’t and discuss it then I’m perfectly happy to, but if you want to assume that your opinion is higher then everyone else, that’s the point where I walk way.

I personally didn’t think this was a good review because of the writer’s self righteousness alone, however I’m not going to say anyone who disagrees with me, has a lower standard of quality then I do, because I’m not Alex Day.

fakeDIY

“And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.”

If that’s how you preface your argument then I have zero interest in reading the rest of the article.

http://twitter.com/RainGlobule Jill

I agree with every word in this article, that episode was atrocious and so was most of last season. Moffat needs to get his sh*t together. It makes me sad when I go back and watch his episodes under RTD, it was so good!

Jon

While I agree that the episode wasn’t amazing and it did have some parts that could have been written better, I have to disagree that it was that bad to cause you to stop watching the show. As has been said below, we don’t stop watching your videos or listening to your songs because theres one we don’t like. I also agree with others that its rude to give up on the show when you’ve made money off it through your songs and videos about it.

Your comment about Rorys breakup and his reaction to it also bothered me. Amy left Rory because she knew she couldn’t provide kids for him. It was clearly not a mutual decision, it was Amys. More than anything, even more than having kids, Rory wants to be with Amy, as was proven with the pandorica. He punches the air and acts like a “cartoon” because he gets to be with her again. He can overlook the fact that he can’t have any biological children, because he gets to spend the rest of his life with the one person he has truly loved since he was a child. Yes the eggs thing with Rory was a bit stupid, but him being happy to get back with Amy is far from it.

As for Oswin being a sexy brilliant woman – SHES NOT A WOMAN. SHES A DALEK. Yes, we know that when she comes back in human form she’ll still be smart, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be able to hack into a dalek computer system again. She could only do all that stuff because she wasn’t purely human anymore. We have no idea how she’ll be portrayed when she comes back.

Shayna

I do agree with a lot of the things you said. I honestly didn’t think it was the best episode. Although I still did love it cause I just adore Doctor Who. I really do miss Russell T Davies as the director I liked him more than Steven Moffat. I still love Moffat but it does seem like he is repeating himself and that his main goal with the show is just to either confuse or scare you. I love that his episodes are very elaborate but he does need to mix it up a bit with the characters they don’t change very much. This is why Donna was my favorite companion because she actually changed as a person from traveling with the Doctor. That’s why the way she left was so sad. As much as I do love Amy and Rory I wish they would just leave. I thought they were gone for good before but they just keep showing up. I liked the way the Doctor left them in The God Complex saying that he’s leaving them before they die because of him. I wish they left then. Although I do love Rory because he is really the only one that calls the Doctor out and sees how dangerous being around him is for people. Unlike Amy who just thinks he’s the most amazing person ever. I’ll never give up on the show though no matter who is writing or directing.

Jen

Oh my god this is an opinion about a tv show, everyone calm the fuck down. Nothing to do with his videos.

BBC

You insult Doctor Who, the writers, the cast and the fans, including your own fans? May I remind you that you made money from Doctor Who by piggy backing with Chameleon Circuit. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC. The British Broadcasting Corporation. The same company that runs Radio 1 the biggest radio show in the country, and you Sir, just insulted it’s biggest TV show along with it’s fans in a very public way. Good luck on getting to #1 in the charts. Smart move…

http://twitter.com/Sassy_Pond Spidey

I agree with you, those are all valid points and some of them really annoyed me during the episode, like the fact oswald was sooooo much like river! But i don’t think you should give up, not yet anyway. I’m interested in what Moffat does next…

http://twitter.com/Sassy_Pond Spidey

Also, i don’t understand why people are bringing Alex’s youtube/subscribing to him/chameleon circuit into this?? It’s his opinion, it doesn’t have anything to do with his youtube channel or the quality of his videos. Everyone needs to just calm down and realise that everyone is entitled to have and express there own opinions.

http://twitter.com/potterfan92 Raina

The reason Rory was being “stupid” about the Daleks is because this is his first time meeting them. He’s never seen one before so of course he wouldnt know what it is saying.

Anyway sorry this episode didn’t excite you. Well the rest of are going to watch this amazing show

Anastasia

Well, I actually agree with him. Everyone has opinions, and you need to calm the fuck down if you think that all opinions should be the same. He didn’t like it, I didn’t like it, but you might have. End of story.

mmm122

It isn’t the problem with his opinions. It’s how he goes “oh, yeah, I obviously have a higher standard of TV than you guys” if you did like it. That’s bullshit. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, right? So don’t shit on someone else’s opinion while making your own point!

Anastasia

I mean, if you think he’s a dick, then why should you care what his standards are?

fakeDIY

Because stating that he has higher standards than those who disagree with him is what’s making him come across as a dick.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

What makes him more of a dick is that he actually left that paragraph in there before hitting the ‘post’ button and thought “Yeah, yeah that’s pretty good, I’ll post that” *click*

fakeDIY

I’m honestly surprised he didn’t realize what a childish thing that was to say and didn’t remove it before posting it. That sort of, “IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME THEN IT’S JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE WRONG AND I’M BETTER THAN YOU” mentality belongs on a playground.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

Completely agree.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

I don’t care about what he thinks. What I do care about is that he publicly insults the millions of fans that DID enjoy the episode.

mmm122

Because 1) He’s not a dick, he’s just voicing his opinion in a dickish way (Just because you act like a lion, doesn’t mean you are a lion), 2) Someone being a dick does not invalidate their opinions at all (Lawrence Miles is a dick, but he’s a fantastic writer), and 3) I’m interested in what other people have to say, I’m just not interested in the dickish ways people say them.

Jenni

i agree with alex. for the 1st ep it was lacking and the fact that it was written by moffat, i expected so much more. but hey it is doctor who and i really can’t complain but be nice to alex!

mmm122

Yet he wasn’t very nice to us.

Don’t like you anymore

I disagree. I feel like you’re only saying this to make a statement, or for attention, because you have no good points. The only few agreeable points you have, aren’t enough to make a dedicated fan give up the show, which means that you never really liked it all along? It’s british tv, man, it’s never going to be perfect, and that’s what makes DW DW – that it’s not perfect. I’m unsubscribing, adios Alex.

http://twitter.com/theoriginaledi Edi

Whew. I’ve finally seen the episode. My comments:

1. I agree. I thought EXACTLY THAT while watching.
2. I agree, but people often rehash old issues in stupid detail when they’re upset. Meh.
3. AGREE. *SO*. MUCH. I thought throughout the episode. Very annoying!
4. I agree, but I think they’ve done that to him a lot, really.
5. Ugh, yes. I’ve been saying that for AGES.
6. I agree 100%. I literally #facepalm’d at that part.
7. I joke about Matt Smith myself so I can’t get too uptight about it, but it WAS overdone in this episode, it’s true.

For what it’s worth, a good friend of mine who’s watched Doctor Who religiously since ~1975 and has seen every episode multiple times has also sworn off it till Moffat steps down. He hasn’t even seen most of season 6. That says a lot in my opinion. It’s sad.

me

I see why you think what you do Alex, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad… I’ll keep watching… but my main thing is,,, WHERE HAS THIS HUGE MASS OF DALEKS BEEN WAITING ALL THIS TIME?!? Just chilling out by Skaro???

Erin

I think the fact that Rory knew that Amy couldn’t have kids after having River is what makes it even harder for Amy AND more believable. Because, knowing the type of people they both are he probably told her that it was alright and he’s be happy to just be with her, and he meant it. But coming from a woman’s point of view (a woman who doesn’t want kids mind you) not being able to give the person you love the one thing they really want, and something you really want as well and having them tell you “it’s alright” won’t change how absolutely guilty and ashamed you feel. I think that was a totally justified reason for Amy to let go of Rory, she wanted to give him another shot at being happy. And though, she may not have realized that he’s never be happy if he wasn’t with her, she thought having children would make him the most happy.

Avery

Okay, so, being in America, I have recently just been able to view the new episode and fully develop an opinion on it, read this, compare thoughts, and formulate a response.

I was so incredibly frustrated throughout the whole thing. First off, the hell, Moffat? I was so ready to be blown away, and was completely disappointed! After season 6 finished off, I was anticipating new adventures with River, a set up to the end of the Pond story, Doctor shenanigans, TARDIS showing up at the wrong time, ect., ect., but instead, I was landed in an episode where the “what happens next” was pretty near painfully obvious. As my friend commented, “The Doctor was never a step ahead of me, which I didn’t like. If I’m going to know what happens before he does, then what’s the point?”. I expressly did not enjoy how unDoctor-y he seemed tonight, but maybe it’s just me.

Also, what was up with Oswin? The whole “I’m a genius, lol” thing was unsettling. Anyone that admits their genius to the Doctor generally ends up having a bad time. Amy seemed just angry the whole time, and Rory was not the cool Centurion he was crafted into. Also I agree, the whole “not having kids” bit was not played off as it should have been; it was a huge info-dump, and it should not have been. There is a time and a place, Moffat. Amy and Rory did not act like companions. They acted like the obnoxious stupid versions of Amy and Rory we know and don’t like. After a while, the companions become the cool versions of themselves and learn why they’re great people, and fun stuff happens. Like when Rose was all fantastic in “Fear Her”. I know Rose was around FOREVER, but she was, in my opinion, kick ass in that episode, because she was just SO ROSE. By which I mean, the Rose the Doctor made her into, and she stayed that Rose, so much to the point that she CAME BACK because she felt like it, dammit. Martha became a girl who could do shit instead of wallow in her mom’s over protective “oh my darling child”-ness and Donna was freaking fantastic. Most important woman in all creation. Dude. Come on. How cool? Amy and Rory were the beautiful star couple that were meant to be and blah and River plot twist and more blah – we all saw the last season. I feel like if this were your first Who rodeo you would have enjoyed it, but for those who have been around the block a few times, it was sub par. I anticipated Amy being brave, and Rory sticking up for the lady he loves when the bad guy aliens poke fun at her humanity.

I was very disappointed with tonights episode, and expect far more from the Dinosaurs on a spaceship, as well as the following episodes. I give Moffat ’til the Christmas special, and if he doesn’t shape up, then I’m taking a break until he gets booted and a new writer steps in, and I’ll wikipedia all the plot lines up until then. Very displeased with the content. I like the dancing about in the TARDIS at the end, but he could have been laughing like the madman with a box that he is, rather than giggling and yelling out the title of the show. Can we please stop playing out that pun so often? I like it and all, but now that the Doctor is doing it, it’s not as pleasant, because it’s never been a joke that he verbalizes himself. The Doctor NEVER says that, and it shouldn’t have started now. I enjoyed hearing people say it in confusion, marveling at how “the Doctor” was his title, and that was it. I didn’t like the whole “predator” thing, and I freaking LOVED the colored Daleks! I bought a new generation Dalek alarm clock and everything! They’re great! Advancing the Dalek race and such! I was fist-pumping and wooping! Okay, not really, but I still REALLY liked them! Shape up or ship out, Moff, or you’ll be losing viewers, and Doctor Who history will repeat itself.

Jenni

ok true he wasn’t very nice, he was harsh. but its hard to build up for something and be disappointed is hard. granted it was kinda mean he is entitled to his opinion

Lozza

I agree with some of your points, Alex, and I do see where you’re coming from. But the fact is that you’ve made some sweeping generalisations as well and I don’t think that was entirely fair…
1) Okay, New Girl Genius from this episode? Not entirely a three-dimensional character. I admit I was a bit disappointed in her characterisation becaue there was a lot more that could’ve been done with that. However, at the end it turned out she wasn’t really a genius in her own right, setting her apart from the stereotype you’ve outined. In further news, I don’t frankly see how Sally Sparrow is anything like River Song or Amy Pond, although that may just be because I really like Sally Sparrow and I’ve never loved River or Amy (yes, everyone else, feel free to murder me in commenting back on this, but they’ve just never done much for me). The idea of Some Hot Chick Who Can Outsmart The Doctor is not exactly a new one, it’s true, and one-dimensional characters are always disheartening. But lumping all attractive, intelligent women together in one category is vaguely offensive, Alex, I’m sorry, especially when Sally, River, and Amy are much more well-defined characters than Oswin or whatever the hell her name was and they are certainly different from one another. Putting on my Feminist Panties and just saying it: not all strong female characters are the same.
2) Okay, this I mostly agree with you on, but the fact is that Amy and Rory’s relationship has always been sort of a mess so I really didn’t think this was anything new. I’m done with them as the companions. There is just nowhere new to go with these characters.
3) As plenty of people have already said here (so I won’t go mad over it), they didn’t exactly get to have River as their child. In fact that whole thing was so bloody convoluted that I have no real idea exactly what DID happen to River. But still. Rory wants a real family and you can’t blame the guy.
4) Rory’s purpose on this show is to be adorable and sort of an idiot. You go ‘aww, Rory’ when Amy kicks him. If there were anything else to it I think we would have seen it by now. The stupidification of Rory does indeed sadden me but as stupid-Rory episodes go this was certainly not the worst.
5) The Daleks keep coming back, they keep reinventing themselves (now in pastel hues!), they keep making up more vague plotless reasons to exist. They do it because they are iconic and people love them. There are always plotholes in the Dalek episodes. That’s not the point. It’s doofy. If you want intelligence, go watch Sherlock.
6) The “Doctor who?” jokes are funny to some of us. I laughed like an insane person for about a minute and my flatmate actually looked in to make sure I was all right. It’s a stupid pun, but Matt Smith dancing around in the TARDIS is the main reason a lot of people watch this show. This episode was never intended to be highbrow, thought-provoking television. Again, it’s doofy. Let it be doofy. One of the reasons I love this show, in spite of the plot holes and kicked-puppy-Rory, is because it’s such a combination of serious, suspenseful episodes and completely ridiculous ones. Let it not take itself too seriously. Much more fun that way.
7) Really, mate? Yes, it was a sloppy episode. No, it wasn’t the first. But there are enough brilliant bits in this show that keep people watching it who really care. If you are no longer one of those people, well then, that’s your prerogative. I’m not offended by your decision to give up on Doctor Who. You don’t have to have a good reason to give up on a show. But if you decide to share your reasons with thousands of your followers, I would expect them to be better reasons than that one. Don’t bash the fangirls. They keep a lot of people in business, including you, and many of them aren’t nearly as stupid as the stereotype. You seem to be having a lot of issues with women in this post. You might want to put some thought into that.

P.S.:
I am still a fan of Doctor Who. I am still a follower of Alex Day and I enjoy much of his music (though not all of it is my cup of tea). Poorly-thought-out posts like this one aren’t going to change that. But really, Alex is a popular public figure and a lot of people follow his example. I think as such, he has a responsibility to his fans and followers to ensure the quality of what he sends out into the ‘sphere (blogo-, twitter-, take your pick) and that’s my main quarrel here, is that this just isn’t well-thought-out and is therefore not fair to a lot of people. I’ve said plenty so I’ll leave it there.

Kyle Becker

Alex i’m a big fan and respect your opinion, admittedly I got a little more ranting toward the end but i tried to do my best to answer your questions as fairly and as accurately as I could. any slight you feel i may have thrown your way is unintentional, keep up the great work, i’m pulling for you to make a #1 this year!

1) it’s the first episode, give Moffat time to build a character.

2) This is a great point and while watching the episode I felt the same way.

3) As the first five episodes of season 7 are intended to be the last episodes for the Ponds; it makes sense that he would bring back elements from seasons 5&6 in order to properly wrap up their story. He built some great characters out of the Ponds and wants to do them justice.

4)Yes, this was a sloppy bit of foreshadowing that made Rory appear foolish; however, it is a children’s show (which per your earlier comment I realize means little to you) capable of minor flaws.

5)Some of these have already been answered, but here is a recap. They have called The Doctor ‘Predator’ before. this time it was a human to Dalek transformation-in which they most likely left some humanity to preserve her intelligence-so allow Moffat some time to explain the details of that one. As for the lack of continuity concerning the new Dalek paradigm decimating the old Daleks; for now i’m assuming the Dalek Prime Minister sorted out that business. but once again, it was the first episode. Moffat will surely deliver, give him time.

6) It is the question that must never be answered! somebody has to ask it! who better than an armada of enraged vengeful Daleks. Though i do agree the Doctor himself saying “doctor who” was most definitely intended as ‘feel good moment’ for the dull minded masses.

7) Honestly I don’t really see the significance of this argument but i’ll do my best to provide you my insight. First off, Amy doesn’t have a patent on making snide comments toward The Doctor and Rory. Secondly, Rory has a HUGE nose, especially in the fish-lens camera! Finally, The Doctor’s chin, it was most likely thrown in as an extra taunt to make the new character seem on par with The Doctor, as backed by the Dalek level intelligence and “come meet the girl who can.” line at the end.

P.S. Username “Not Telling” seems to be overly butt-hurt by your post and is clearly trying to provoke a response from you, please destroy the troll.

http://twitter.com/julietwosie Julie

I don’t agree with you on every point of this article, but I am not offended. People who are longtime fans (of anything) are bound to be the most critical. I am the same way about Harry Potter and I was extremely harsh about the last film in particular.

ginabina

I personally enjoyed the episode. Sure, I sit here and think, “He’s destroyed the daleks how many times now? And they still come back in this many numbers?” But, other than that. I liked how they brought in the nano-gene technology (which we haven’t really seen since Doctor #9). I also liked the problems with Rory and Amy… not every relationship is perfect, and I’m glad they showed that and had them work through it. Yes, Oswin was annoying. Why? Because she was “perfect”, but then at the end of the episode, we find out that she really isn’t. She’s scared, she doesn’t want to be dalek, and she is. And yes, we have seen humans being transformed into pure dalek (do you not forget the first series finale, with Chris Eccleston?). Moffet is a great writer. I enjoy his episodes, sure there could be a little more continuity, but as far as episodes go, this was all right.

My sadness comes from people’s ways of expressing their opinions. Have you ever heard of being polite? I’m sorry you’ve suddenly given up on a series you’ve enjoyed for a long time. Just because of ONE SINGLE episode you felt just “Didn’t meet your standards”. I’m sorry you don’t give things a second chance. And I hope you learn how to not shove opinions down peoples throats. Because I definitely felt like it was shoved down mine. Sorry, Alex. (I guess I don’t meet your standards)

shelia

This wasn’t my favorite episode either and I prefer Davies over Moffat as the head writer, too. I love Sherlock but Moffat seems to be under the impression that bigger is always better, which is a thought that kills so many great shows. He’s basically glamorized DW, where under Davies it had a grittier, more real feel to it. I felt like the Amy/Rory divorce was completely pointless as well. The info dump was stupid. Didn’t like that. I will have to call you a hypocrite though for disliking Oswin’s character because she could “do things the doctor couldn’t.” Ummmmm, did you watch the 5th season of NewWho at all? Amy basically did everything the first season while the doctor twiddled his thumbs in the background. At least for the first half of it. Amy’s character is CONSTANTLY doing things that show she’s just as good at the doctor at saving the day or figuring shit out. I’ve never been a big fan of Amy because I feel like her character took over the show. Eleven is completely overshadowed by her as well as her relationship with Rory. I think you’re a bit too in love with Amy’s character to see how she is 2x as in your face as Oswin’s character is. I will not be sad to see Amy go. I like Karen quite a lot but Amy’s character was way too overdone. Because that’s Moffat’s style. He also overdid the weeping angels. Blink was such a perfect episode and then he saw ‘oh, hey, everyone loves this shit, let’s do it again but BIGGER!’ Sherlock is proof that he can’t keep it in his pants. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sherlock, but unless they end it after Series 3, having Sherlock do the Fall in season two was way too premature. He just wants shock value. I will not be sorry to see Moffat go whenever he does, which I hope is very soon.

Thank you, Alex for writing this article. Yes, the episode did really annoy me for all the reasons that you stated but I still had fun watching it and am definitely still a big Doctor Who. Stephen Moffat is getting a little big headed-refusing to take criticism and I personally think his era is overrated. Yes, it is entertaining and exciting and fun and cool but when get down to it so much of is insane illogical smokescreen showboating instead of clever, fast-paced and brilliant. I too am personally getting sick of having the same kind of “clever smart sexy confident perfect” style of woman. Yes, River, Amy, and Oswin are different characters but they are still the same KIND of woman and I am personally getting sick of it. I was rolling my eyes at many of Oswin’s quips. I mean Moffat needs to start getting more imaginative with his women and realizing that they aren’t this idealized sexy heroes he keeps on creating. That said, I think your article is a little extreme but it definitely needed to be said.

LCutty

I completely respect this opinion. Everything Alex said in this post was (to some extent) true. However, I do feel that this post was a bit harsh. All the flaws that he pointed out don’t make me want to give up on the show entirely! I don’t think that I’ll ever stop watching Doctor Who, and it is still my favorite show. There may be some badly written bits, but the good bits completely make up for it in my opinion.

Haley

I agree!

shelia

Also, as I’m sure many others have said, it’s 100% okay to share your opinion, but to say that other people must have lower expectations fom shows and that they just gobble up whatever Moffat throws them like idiot children is unnecessary and frankly just mean. You can give your opinion without being awful about it. It was uncalled for. Why would you say that? What was the point? Does it make you feel smarter, does it make you feel superior to have this great, grand opinion that is so right that anyone who disagrees is just a simple idiot who goes around drooling out of the sides of their mouths? I would ask for an apology on at least just that, but I know better after all these years then to expect that from you. You’re too proud. Saying things like that makes you no better than internet bullies. Just because you make it a general blanket statement and disguise it as your own opinion doesn’t make you any better than the people who do it out rightly.

LCutty

So… I’ll just assume that Chameleon Circuit is no longer a thing.

Cassandra

I love you, and I love Doctor Who, and although you may not have enjoyed the episode and you made a bails point about the continuity, you didn’t have to be quite so rude about it, it tarnished a plausible and (sort of) valid argument

melissa

GUYS. ITS NOT JUST ONE EPISODE THAT IS MAKING PEOPLE GIVE UP. SEASON SIX WASN’T GREAT EITHER.

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

We don’t give a crap about him giving up on it, I certainly won’t lose sleep over Alex not watching it, he could have given up without posting this article. What we do care about is the fact that he has insulted every person who enjoyed the episode by saying they have lower expectations. Use caps lock all you like, it doesn’t make your point more valid.

Erin

You also seem to forget that it is perfectly logical that Rory wouldn’t know that all daleks say “exterminate” because he hasn’t had as much experience with them as The Doctor has, he hasn’t been curled up on his couch watching a TV show, he’s not going to know that, I mean, how would he? Even Amy only dealt with them twice, the first time they were creepy fake soldiers and the second time they had ONE chasing them around a museum.

Cassandra

Fine. But still, it was not necessary for him to pick up a golden ball and awkwardly try to hand it to the dalek saying, “egg? egg?” like a silly I Love Lucy Skit

http://www.youtube.com/missxrojas Rosianna

They definitely drew that out too long, too. If it had been a short, sharp realisation it would have been far more effective.

Sara

The reason why Rory tried to give the dalek an “egg” was because he was confused. He traveled with The Doctor for so long and in his mind, the Doctor is all about helping. He wasn’t being stupid, or anything, he was trying to help the dalek. He thought it was troubled and he wanted to give it its “egg” back.

Erin

Sorry, now I just feel like I’m attacking. You do in fact have the rights to your own opinion, just as I have mine.

Guest

just curious, which Avery is you, it’s quite confusing

Erin

Um, what?

FrontierLand

While I agree with 90% of your points, how, HOW can you give up on DW after all you’ve been through together? IT’S ONE BUMP IN THE LONG ROAD! You spent years of your life writing and singing songs about DW! WHY give up so quickly?

Emma

@percypeetapotter Bravo my good sir

Sara

i had your exact same reaction after i watched “a good man goes to war” pretty much only watch doctor who now for those rare stand-alone episodes not written by moffat–”the girl who waited” was probably my favorite moffat-era episode ever. i think the saddest part was how the showrunner wasn’t interested in letting amy keep any of her amazing development. seriously, what is his obsession with the memory swipes?! and why is she a model? we’ve known her for over two series now, i feel like i should know amy enough to figure out why she chose modelling, whether she even wanted to be a mother, how she feels about river song?? i can’t care about these characters if the writer doesn’t LET me. but so far i liked what i saw of oswin even though that “her name was nina, i was going through a phase” line made me cringe. majorly. it’s like moffat has a checklist of what an empowering female character is supposed to look like and tries to cram it all in one. it completely backfires because you can see right through it.

Cassandra

so true. i hope moffat begins to accept feedback and understand that new ideas are needed for doctor who because if not we’re in for some seriously familiar lines. Especially the part where Clara said, “female genius? is there a way to make that sound sexy?” (albeit, the comeback of “that’s why I go by the Doctor” was good) it was a line that sounded like it got scrapped for a River Song episode and they decided to reuse it for Clara. I hope they make Clara more unique for future episodes and bring something new to the table.

http://profile.yahoo.com/EMQTTUHJHQXYKIW3AHN7542W7E Karen

Never gonna happen. Moffat hates being criticize period.

Cassandra

I totally agree. Last season was interesting, new, exciting. The Pond Baby
(aka River), the flesh, the impossible alien, the River/Doctor Amy/Rory relationships, and overall (as Alex mentioned) the theme of memory loss in the last 2 seasons of Matt Smith as doctor, with the crack in the wall and then the silence. The crack was interesting, but I really liked the silence – the gasp when their faces would suddenly be covered in tally marks – but the concept of memory loss is becoming WAY too repetitive. In fact, that seems to be Moffat’s problem in general with this new episode. Rose, Donna and Martha were all ballsy women but all had different insecurities they would display at appropriate times and overall were written in such a way that they were not repetitive or boring because of their unique personality/history. Amy is the lovable strong companion – with constant references to her fiery Scottish nature. Her strength is explainable considering how she grew up on a childhood of lies (her mother and father being “taken” by the crack, and the doctor not returning for 12 years). River being strong makes perfect sense because of what we know about her childhood. But to introduce a new female companion whose characteristics are, on paper, identical to those of River and Amy really is just driving home the point that Moffat is recycling previous seasons/storylines/characters to a point where they are becoming dull and ridiculous. To have another episode about a Pond baby, memory loss, and featuring a new flirtatious, extremely smart, sassy female brings up serious dejavu. I really hope that because Clara is staying on as the new companion the writers bring depth and serious unique aspects to her character because otherwise the show really is becoming dissapointing.

Heatherly

I agree to some extent. While I do feel like the writers do have a bit of leeway to write a really poor episode here and there, it does kind of feel like Moffat is aiming more towards a bit of a show stopping theatrical instead of a sturdy and semi-plausible (as far as science fiction terms go) plot. I wasn’t a big fan of the whole Amy turn around when she went from sassy, brave, companion to moody, broody, megastar; and you were spot on with the informative vomit that was spewed about the children. I feel like the Pond Life episodes could have solved some of these issue – i.e., Amy’s dramatic transformation, and the children debacle, but they were a huge disappointment as well. My really big problem (as it always has been) is how Moffat leaves so many unanswered questions even when all of the explanations have been made as expense to the firework show of the complicated plots. In the beginning it was ignorable, but now in the third season, its getting a little too dominant to avoid. I do not, however, think it was enough to turn me away from the show all together. I think the foundation upon which Doctor Who resides in my life is too important to completely wash my hands of. I had the same moment with Glee, where I dropped it with no desire to see it again, and stand by that decision. But Doctor Who is not Glee. Doctor Who is not just a television show with creators working too hard to please its fandom, at least to me it isn’t. So it will be harder for me to turn away from Doctor Who than this, and I wish that it were for you too. I have faith in Doctor Who, and all of the years and years of stories to this magnificent creature cannot be diminished by failure on the part of a writer. I have faith that even if it gets worse (I hope it doesn’t, but it probably will), it will someday get better and I can proudly proclaim that I stuck with the Doctor through the rough times. And, to whomever may read this, if anyone, I hope that you will try to stick with the Doctor as well. I think that we should not be afraid to be blunt and honest about the flaws in this show and I do not think that we should defend them just because they should never have existed, but I also do not believe that we should allow flaws to overpower the good things that used to, and could still live within this Mad Man that once made us all fall in love.

Zoe

I love the YouTube vlogs and music that Alex makes and I even like this! Though I enjoyed the episode and shall continue to watch the series I acknowledge what he has to say. This article is an expression of his opinion which shouldn’t be criticized. It’s an alternate view. People have been commenting here complaining about him being ‘having a go’ at those who were part of this episode yet isn’t this what people do in life when talking or gossiping? How is this article any different to his vlogs about twilight? Is this not acceptable due to it being in a written form compared to his video form or because he’s expressing his dislike for an episode which isn’t hated among many people like twilight is?
Hence why I would like to commend you Alex for writing this!

Emma Torres

I agree with both Heatherly and Danny. You both make very good points, and all though I cannot say that I have probably not stuck with Alex Day or even Doctor Who as long as either of you, I still agree. I’m rather new to Doctor Who, and ever since I saw my first episode I was in love. Yeah, it was from the later seasons-my first episode was Blink-but oh well. Yeah I still ask questions about what’s going on because I’m still not fully caught up with the show. But I LOVE this show. And although, yes Alex does have some points, I don’t think that’s really a reason to give up after one episode. Like Heatherly said, Doctor Who is more than just some TV show looking for fame wherever they can get it. Its a show that has captured the hearts of so many people-both young and old. Its the show that made us all fall in love with a crazy mad man, but still want to follow everything he does. Although I may not be able to quote from episodes or say that I have seen every single episode of Doctor Who and know every single one of the Doctor’s adventures, I do and will continue to love this show. And even though Matt Smith may only be the Doctor until 2014, I will still keep watching even after my favorite Doctor is gone. Or who knows, once I catch up on all of the series I may have a different favorite. My mom’s husband laughed at me earlier when we were watching the new episode Asylum of the Daleks because I told him he better get his butt moving faster cause I wanted to watch the episode and he was taking too long getting up the stairs. My friend from school had also told me about chameleon circuit, and before I even divulged myself even further into finding out about them besides knowing they were a Doctor Who band, I downloaded all of the songs that are on iTunes onto my iPod. I didn’t care if they would be absolutely great or horrifically terrible. All I cared about was the face that there was yet another band out there that gave me the freedom to express something that I care about-Doctor Who. Isn’t that technically why we are all here in the first place? Isn’t it because we all share(d) one thing in common…our love for the Doctor and his crazy, mind boggling adventures. I know that Alex may just be expressing his opinion, but I believe that seeing someone who knows so much about the Doctor give up on the show after seeing one let down episode won’t bring this show new fans. We think people will post on the #newtoWHO on twitter. Well with posts like this, no will, because when people hear stuff like this then they won’t even want to bother watching the show to begin with. Knowing that I would have done the same exact thing, I’m glad that I started before I knew about the whole #newtoWHO, or Chameleon Circuit thing. Because if I did, and I came here now…I probably never would have been able to express my love for the Doctor like I do now.

http://twitter.com/twiceblessdlife Lara N

Regarding 2,3,4, I think because you are not a woman who has suffered the loss of a child or suffered from infertility that you can’t understand the dynamics of how that effects a marriage. Yes, it’s very plausible that Amy pushed Rory away because of that, and is pretty messed up mentally and emotionally and not wanting to deal with it. And even if Rory is ok with it, she may not really believe him. Of course he is feeling exuberant at getting another shot at their marriage, now that she is finally letting him in emotionally. He wants them to deal with it, not repress or avoid it. And no, she really doesn’t ‘have’ River as a child. Her baby was ripped from her arms and if that wasn’t bad enough, was raised by terrorists. Imagine how that must feel as a parent to go thru that. If you are not a parent yourself, you can’t imagine how horrible that might be.

By the way, just an FYI: when a new mother has her child taken away from her suddenly, her body produces the same hormones as if the child had died. Her body physically grieves and the resulting hormonal cocktail does a helluva number on her mentally and emotionally as well.

Amy is dealing with alot after Demons Run, and also the involuntary loss of the ability to conceive and bear children is something she is having to deal with on her own. Her body, her pregnancy, her child were violated and stolen from her. How the hell do you deal with that?
How the hell do you find a therapist – assuming she’d even want to after the run of mental health ‘professionals’ she was forced to go to after the Doctor ditched her as a little girl – and tell them she was abducted by aliens who took her little girl and rendered her infertile. Medical tests would show she’d been pregnant – where’s her child? She’d be under suspicion for having done something to it.

And Rory being so patient and understanding and mild-mannered and not really sharing his own grief (which Amy really can’t deal with on top of her own) as well as his disappointment at not being able to ‘really’ have children, well, Amy senses he’s feeling those things but he’s not sharing either, not wanting to burden her.

It’s an emotional mess and I’m glad they’re not delving into it on the show. I want to see something a bit more lighthearted to distract me from my own ‘feels’ about my own experience.

http://twitter.com/MatGreenfield Mat Greenfield

Oh please, Alex. Do you seriously think that the decision to introduce a young, attractive female to the main cast was entirely down to Moffat? Do you honestly think that the BBC execs were imploring him to do something creative rather than what they know will get audiences? That’s pretty naive.

The other points, some I agree with whilst others I think are overly nitpicky. But are you serious about this:

“And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. Because it WAS bad television. ”

Ok, so you didn’t like the episode. You don’t need to pin-point everything that wasn’t as amazing as usual. It’s hard writing an episode. The writers say so themselves. It’s wasn’t perfect. Ok. A whole article takes it a bit too far!

http://www.facebook.com/wannaliveforever Ro Sanz Ramos

I must admit, the first time I read it (an hour or so after seeing the episode) I was like “SHUT UP ALEX THE EPISODE WAS FANTASTIC SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” but now, thinking a little bit more rationally, I want to make a point:
He’s a human being with opinions
Humans usually don’t think the same about things, and that’s what makes things funny
“but he was a total dick and told us we were stupid!”
Yes, he did, but that’s how Alex is towards us (I mean the internet people, I don’t know him and I’m not his friend, therefore, I don’t know if he’s like that in real life)
He is not afraid of speaking his mind, and he can be a little rough, but you shouldn’t feel personally victimized about this, because he can be a dick, and we all know that.
That being said, I’m going to talk about why I disagree with him in a lot of things:
Clara’s /Oswin’s personality: I think it’s great to have another strong and independent companion, I mean, if we are going to talk about stereotypes, we already have the male companions, usually couples of the female companions being left behind because who can resist the Doctor?; Clumsy, funny sidekicks with some heroical moments from time to time. It’s not bad to use these, because they help the plot development
Amy’s infertility: I found a great post (http://savvyliterate.tumblr.com/post/30682203092/why-i-think-moffat-got-the-infertility-issue-right) (please go and read it) about this and the River/Amy relationship, and I think that’s the things that Moffat thought when he wrote this, not just “oh, I forgot I have to say why Rory and Amy are mad at each other!”
Nose and Chin jokes: A lot of characters made fun of Rory’s nose before, it’s not something new, and the Doctor’s chin it’s a joke that he even did to himself (“Ears, eyes, nose, chin…blimey!”). These are not Amy’s property.
And last: I consider myself a “fan who write ‘omg the feels’ tumblr posts” and I don’t think there’s nothing wrong about it.
Again, opinions, and why it’s ok to have them.
I started watching Doctor Who (thanks to, between other people, Alex) about 6 or 7 months ago, so I understand why we see the show differently. And I understand that being so let down by a show that you love must be something horrible, so don’t be too hard on Alex.

Jess

Ok, so. I’m not a YouTuber, so I don’t know a whole load about your work, but I have a whole load of friends who are fans. I quite like Chameleon Circuit, and whenever I see you retweeted onto my timeline, you come across as someone funny and with sensible opinions, with whom I’d generally agree.
However.
This article makes for frankly ridiculous reading. I quite enjoyed Asylum Of The Daleks. It wasn’t my favourite episode, but I thought it was fun, and I quite enjoyed it. I am absolutely fine with people having differing opinions to me, and I’m quite used to it by now.
You have absolutely no right to describe something as ‘objectively bad.’ It was bad, IN YOUR OPINION. Therefore, it was ‘subjectively bad.’ Objectivity refers to truth independently from anyone’s thoughts. There is absolutely no way that a piece of art (be it a television show, a song or a painting) can be described as ‘objectively bad.’ THAT’S NOT HOW THINGS WORK.
And then to be so condescending as to suggest people who disagree with you have ‘lower standards of taste?’
How charming.
I’m just glad you’re some great beacon for what makes some ‘good’ and what makes something ‘bad.’

IAmYou

Bingle Bongle Dingle Dangle. I guess I have lower standards of quality than this guy. And guess what, I’m okay with that. <3 I loved the episode. I'm sure Moffat will explain more as the season goes on. He always does.

Anon

Good points, only Rory never met the daleks hence the eggs thing.

Morwenna

People giving negative comments, please calm down. I appreciate that you wish to state your opinion on the episode, and that is fine, but please, stop bashing Alex over his opinion. Everyone has a different opinion, and sometimes it won’t match yours, it’s just the way of life. The Internet is this wonderful place where people can share their opinions, but what I’m seeing here is the exact reason why I do not share mine. You shouldn’t judge people or rip them off for having a different opinion, because it’s going to happen with everything, for example, I don’t like Glee and Twilight, but I do like all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the Matrix sequels aren’t as bad as people believe, if someone disagrees with me on this, sure I’ll have my issues on their arguments but they, like me, are entitled to their own opinion. Yes, I do disagree with Alex’s opinion on the episode, and I do have issues with his argument, but I am not going to go on a massive rant about it. When I first read this article, I was offended, but then, I’m always offended when a person disagrees with my opinion, like all people, but I also had to think, if this was just some random person writing this article, who most of us had never heard of, how offended would we all be? I doubt that a lot of this hate would have been displayed, I think you are all just getting annoyed because someone with a bit of fame has said, I don’t like this episode of Doctor Who and this is why. So as I have already said, there is nothing wrong with stating your opinion, but please, stop hating on Alex for his, and, if everything that I have said hasn’t worked in convincing you of this then may I say, put yourself in his shoes or the shoes of someone who didn’t enjoy the episode, alternatively, think about how you feel, when you tell someone you don’t like something and this is why and they just go off at you, saying that you are wrong and they are right. And I shall now leave you with one final question: Why? Why do you all find it so hard to accept another persons opinion for what it is and quietly disagree with them? Why must you hate them for having the courage to share their opinion when they probably knew it would be met with hate?
Thank you for reading this far

Sarah

I disagree with Alex’s veiw on the episode. I thought it was great although there were some parts that needed more developmment but as a whole i liked the whole concept of the episode even if the Daleks have gone a little bit Cybermen. What i do agree with is that Steven Moffat is a poor writer and makes a lot of poor choices concerning ongoing plots and all that stuff. But to base the judgement of never watching it again on one episode is a little bit silly. There are terrible episodes in each series but that doesnt mean you should completely stop giving it a chance. There will probably be that one episode that just makes you go WOW! In all fareness Alex is entitled to his own opinion and just because you disagree doesn’t mean you have to be agressive towards him and prove that your better then he is.

Sophie

The whole turning into dalek thing is a bit like turning into a cybman if you have the determination to believe that you are a human then you stay just in the form of a dalek. I think that’s what Oswins flashback was saying. As for my opinion I never really like the episodes until the end because the plots never complicated enough.

Ed

I have a snaking feeling that you’ll be back, Alex, like a heroin addict looking for his next fix.

NovaLee

I some what agree with you. It seems that the first episode that I writer does is always a bit sloppy. There where things that could have bin fixed with one liners.

I got a bit sad when I asked The Doctors question before he did. Why can you hack the Dalek’s systems and I can’t? Because she’s a Dalek. (I was waiting for that thing to come out of her head) Then he asked her why she wasn’t a Dalek yet and she said force field. And I started to wonder how She was able to get down there without being infected. How did come The Doctor didn’t wonder why they weren’t bloom up right away why was there a delay? He also should have asked why she didn’t make the Daleks forget that she was a “threat”? How come he didn’t wonder if it was only those few that she made forget him? Why didn’t he think about it’s all of them?

The colors thing? The explanation for the the color Daleks not being there could have bin easy, some kind of imperfection that they missed before. The reason they kept the crazy ones in cause The Doctor keeps killing them. So if they keep some of them they can just that their DNA to make more. They are like cockroaches, they never really die.

I’m just said that this things where over looked. They forgot their kid? Sure you didn’t really get to raise her but the last I checked she regularly visting them and telling them stories. Did they forget that? Or that she happens to be his wife? It would have bin better if they would have but more thought into these cans of worms that they where opening. I hope that Moffat was just warming up and has better things coming and that he caps off some of these things.

Emily

May I point out that there are clearly better standards of TV and worse standards of TV. Some is clearly better then others.fact. I’m sure a lot of you claim twilight is drivel. Same sort of thing.
I’m sure you prefer some TV programmes than others because they are of higher standards. Something well thought out, full of emotions, deep, captivating etc is a lot better than something badly written etc. Alex is just stating his personal opinion and I don’t like how all you do is have a go at him for it. Besides… you are doing exactly the same thing TO ALEX in the comments… expressing your views and being not nice to him! DONT DIG HIM FOR IT!And that’s fine if you don’t agree with it, just keep on watching it! I think it has become a lot worse but I’m sticking at it for the sake of nothing else to watch and it may improve… And I may not watch things for the quality of what I am watching but for enjoyment… although i do get more enjoyment out of good things sometimes I’m in the mood for something not that great and not up for something that involves thinking too hard!

Will

while bits of this episode kind of sucked (I’m still waiting for a companion that isn’t a pretty earthling and her boyfriend or captain jack. an alien would be nice), you’re being fairly brutal here. it was another good episode, albeit not as good as the russel days but that’s because neither is a unicorn riding down a mountain of muffins drinking from a goblet filled with the laughter of children. but I digress.

1) yes, we need a new kind of character; personally, i think adding in another alien to the tardis crew would be a great idea. but river song is not like amy pond, sally sparrow or oswin. sparrow only showed up in one episode! amy waited for the doctor for 14 years, and started to think she was mad, oswin we barely even know yet and river is meant to be the doctor’s perfect counterpart – just as clever and able to fly a tardis, just for starters.

2) ok, this i agree with. rory really should have known about that.

3) and in series three, the underlying theme was basically “martha has ladyboner over the doctor, he’s clueless” which has happened a billion times before. do you think they’re going to do a series about the ponds having kids when they physically can’t have kids?

5) the asylum is a place for mad and broken daleks. she was probably from one of the times daleks used human conversions and it didn’t go to plan because she was too clever or something.

where did they come from!? they’re time travellers! they’ve got all of time and space to create armies and strategies, and bearing in mind they were shiny new ones, at full strength, they’re meant to have multiplied. the old ones fell through time, same old trick, they were a bit broken. these ones were built by the new daleks, and thus they are respected. what really bugs me is how everyone assumes the dalek fleet is always the last one in existence, if i had command of an army that could always make more of itself, I’d keep some of them behind to continue the species.

6) yeah, that bit was a bit rubbish

7) the doctor’s chin is the size of a small continent.

quit hating on everyone involved with this episode! every series has bad episodes (boom town, the idiot’s lantern, (ok, season three didn’t) midnight, vampires of venice) so there’s no reason why the next episode will suck. except it looks rubbish, dinosaurs on a spaceship?! really!?

http://profile.yahoo.com/WNOKBWCDE32PHF5IXEFKRKFL3A Alana

Oh season three had Daleks in Manhattan, a true mess of tripe. Whereas Midnight improves with maturity.

RachDerp

To be fair, one would just blurt out “I can’t have kids” if they realised they were infertile. I can’t have kids, I should know.

Sam

It’s one thing to express your opinion, but it’s another thing to opine that any of your readership who disagree, are wrong or have ‘lower standards’ than you. An opinion piece usually looks at things with a critical eye but instead you’ve just mauled everything, and then dared anyone to disagree.

Alex I’m sorry but you’ve really lowered in my estimations, first it was a declining lack of quality in the effort of your videos and now this is just taking the piss.

TheHarriet

AGREED!

Oliver

Could it not be that when Amy tells Rory she can’t have children, he ‘knows’ implicitly in that he has worked it out for himself without her having said anything, and Amy, being Amy, hasn’t talked about the problem or attempted some kind of team work, but has sent him away in an emotional state because she thinks that that’s best.

I didn’t think it was at all lame that they had that discussion there and then. It was incredibly well acted and emotional.

Beth

Personally, I agree (mostly) with this. The standard of Doctor Who has been deteriating ever since Russel left, and the last series was pretty shite. Don’t hate Alex just because he has opinions, however dissimilar they are to your own. The fact that he didn’t enjoy it won’t make your viewing experience any worse.

Carmel

Just one thing. You can’t write about your opinion about a show and say that it’s OBJECTIVE. The point of opinions is that they’re subjective. You can’t just swan around the Internet going ‘I’m right you’re wrong and that’s that’
Other peoples opinions count too

sara

What? Rory KNEW Amy couldn’t have children AFTER what happened to her body, which is AFTER she had River. A daughter they never got to see grow up. He clearly and properly said “I KNOW” when she said she couldn’t have children. The only thing that was new to him was how Amy felt about it, because she’d clearly kept her feelings on the matter to herself. And saying people who liked the episode has lower standards than you, come on, get your head out your arse. People are entitled to their own opinions. Yours isn’t more right than anyone elses. Everyone won’t like all the episodes.

I’ve followed you for years now but it’s started to feel like you’re getting more and more up yourself, thinking your above everyone else. It might not be the case but that’s how you come across to me, and probably a few other people. I’ve supported all your music, watched every single video. I’ve been thinking about unsubscribing for a while now because I’m getting tired of what you stand for.

I really don’t see why you’d write something this long about something you hate. If I hate something, I don’t pay attention to it. I don’t waste my time on it. I’m glad something so bad and something you hate so much gave you an opportunity to write a whole album and earn you enough money to buy your own house.

George

I genuinely thought this episode was better than ANY in the previous series which you did seem to support (you wrote a whole album about it remember?) I think the comment about anyone disagreeing had lower standards was a little below the belt too…

becca

Whilst watching the episode i thought it was good. its Who, we go along with it. But having just read what you wrote it made me stop and think and i completely agree with what you said. Amy annoys me Rory is just a hanger-on-er and Oswin whats going on with her..?! And dinosaurs on a spaceship?! Give me strength!!

Kristen

Wow. Sorry, Alex. I for one thought that sharing your personal opinion in a blog about a tv show was allowed, with or without youtube fame…Apparently not.
Also, thanks for expressing literally all the thoughts I had going through my head in that horribly sloppy mess of an episode. (I had to show my friends The Pond Life during commercials so they could see that Amy and Rory were fighting.) I look forward to seeing the plot hole ridden solution to Oswin at Christmas, even though the only fun thing left is ripping apart the episodes afterward.

Lydia

I can’t believe people genuinely think that disagreeing with you is a valid reason to write a hateful post and unsubscribe

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

Well, it’s not like Alex just insulted the millions of people who did enjoy it. Didn’t he write a hateful review and stop watching? It’s kind of similar actually.

I think people are perfectly within reason to unsubscribe from a twat who just insulted them for absolutely no reason.

Bob

You can’t get seriously upset with him for not watching the show anymore. That’s HIS opinion. You can get upset with him for criticizing your own opinion, perhaps, but not for having his own opinion separate of yours. Be reasonable.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

You’ll have to point out to me where I said I was upset due to his opinion. Your comment is irrelevant.

Jessica

To be honest, if you disagree with Alex you really must have low standards of television. Plus, subscribing or unsubscribing to his channel have nothing to do with this post, so to all of you going to great lengths to tell him what a gigantic douchebag he is in your opinions: please, shut up.
I pretty much agree with most of this post. The first half of the episode was great, and then it dropped off. I’m just so extremely done with Moffat’s writing. For me, it hit its lowest point with that second half of the episode. I’ll probably continue to watch the show, but my scepticism of the episodes to come is dulling my enthusiasm for the show. If Dinosaurs On a Spaceship continues at that level of bad writing and isn’t what I’m hoping it will be (i.e., good, exciting, has a respectable and solid plotline) and can’t redeem anything for me, I think I’ll just reserve myself to watching my RTD era DVDs and hold tight to the hope that Moffat’s reign ends sooner rather than later.

TheHarriet

I didn’t unsubscribe purely because of this post. I did it because I’ve been meaning to for a while, and this post has just reminded me that the alex that I subscribed too years ago has changed and I don’t like the new one.

EvilBeans

Same here. I don’t really approve of the way he gives his opinion, but he does have the right to his own opinion. However, he isn’t the quirky, funny and genuine kind Alex Day I subscribed to.

TheHarriet

So I just unsubscribed from your youtube account. I don’t have low standards of quality just because I enjoyed this episode.
Your videos have been becoming more and more crap ever since you released “Forever yours”
All you do now is beg people to buy your shit music just so that you can get into the charts, and I’m pretty sick of it.

Moon

I couldn’t agree more with you. I was seriously disappointed with Moffat. Oswin is indeed Amy/River all over again, and there were sooo many moments in this episode that could have been made into a brilliant storyline, but they were left unused and Moffat went on with his cliché episode. I really hope next episodes will be better .

RachelAteTheRainbow

I just love Matt Smith. Kthanksbye.

http://twitter.com/JustMeTheOwl ♕Lady Macbeth♛

I was so excited for the new season I brushed the flaws off last, but, upon watching it again this morning I have come to the conclusion that I completely agree. But I also feel that the Doctor would not take on Oswin as his companion because he knows of her future as a Dalek! One of the Doctor’s main traits is that the doesn’t do anything that would end up with physical harm to a human, he’s too compassionate! Upon meeting Human-Oswin, the Doctor would stay well away in the hopes of preventing her fate.

Lloyd

I used to be a subscriber before the heavily pushing of the music and I thought that was where your channel was taking and I wasn’t a fan of thr style so I opted out. This is another example of you pushing and pushing an opinion in such a way as it to sound arrogant and that you know beter than other people. I didn’t like this episode, however the previous review I read (I think written by Rosianna) was much more conscise and to the point.

http://twitter.com/cazzlebee Caroline Hodges

I lost faith and stopped watching Doctor Who a few episodes into the first series with Matt Smith – you have a LOT more patience for it than I do. I used to love DW, I have boxsets, posters and a toy sonic screwdriver and I made a Tardis out of cardboard and have it displayed in my room. And I’m a 19 year old girl…so yeah, I love the old episodes but the writing for the new ones has been awful right from the start. It’s become childish and the storylines are now completely ridiculous and incredibly complicated but delivered in a very simplistic and unintelligent manner. Basically, it makes no sense. And the Tardis looks like it’s made of plastic. And I can’t lie, I did actually complain to the BBC. It makes me sad that a show I used to love has come to this.

P.S. Matt Smith is the KING of chins. In fact, he IS a chin. Other than that I agree with you totally.

cookieosaur

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALEX!!!!. THIS EXPLAINS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL. Now if anyone asks me why I didn’t like it, I’ll just link them to this!

dutytodrainyou

I agree with you completely Alex, the very poor writing from Moffat didn’t escape my focus, and coming from me, whose prose is worse than Stephenie Meyer’s, surely that must be emphasizing a point. However, i will still continue to watch the series, because i believe in second chances, or third, or fourth, or well, in Doctor Who’s case, probably about it’s billionth chance.

Also, I’m not sure i understand the correlation between Alex writing an honest critique and people unsubscribing. It’s apparent that Alex is, or used to be, a fan of Doctor Who, considering he formed a ‘Trock’ band with fellow youtubers, so how i read this article is that it’s just an explanation as to why the show was a let down from a knowledgeable fan’s perspective. Surely the writers want feedback like this to help their show to develop, otherwise they’ll be living in this fictitious world where every idea that streams out of Moffat’s mouth is pure gold- which it isn’t. Alex’s opinion is merely helping to break the illusion because let’s face it, a lot of us churned around the same thoughts in our heads whilst watching but just couldn’t put them in better words.

So, why unsubcribe? In my opinion, this act seems petty and unnecessary. For those saying that Alex’s video quality has dipped, you may be right, but it depends what you want to gain from watching his videos. For me, i enjoy the wit and humour that features in his videos. I like to see familiar faces, such as Carrie, i like to hear about his new music releases because it’s heart warming seeing someone so optimistic and proud of their work. I think Alex is just proud of his talents, and why shouldn’t he be? If you created something spectacular, you would want to show it off wouldn’t you? For this, i will not be unsubscribing.

p.s: If you do not agree with what I’ve said, take it out on me, go ahead. However, don’t let my opinions change your views on Alex. I wouldn’t like to have the weight of guilt on my shoulders for losing him subscribers. Thank you.

Jasmine

I never understand why so many fans have an issue with analysing and criticising the show, nothing is ever going to be perfect and it’s all part of being a fan! I agree with this article, I found there was so many problems with this episode. For one thing so many important aspects to the Daleks were just wiped out. Wait, isn’t Skaro timelocked, because of that time war thing? isn’t that important to the continuity of the show? Also where did all these Daleks come from, they are meant to be dead aren’t they? DALEKS FEEL FEAR NOW? THEY FEEL EMOTIONS? And why hasn’t the Doctor asked all these questions?

The thing with Amy and Rory’s relationship in this episode just felt like a cheap trick to create a bit of drama. It would have been good if we had a bit of build up to it (I didn’t watch Pond Life though, but I’m guessing the majority of the audience didn’t either), but it came out of no where and was then resolved in like two minutes. And I also agree with Oswin being a bit of a River clone, but then I liked Jenna a LOT I didn’t mind too much.

AbiTheElephant

I fully respect (though disagree to an extent) your opinion. If you didn’t like it, then cool. If you did, then watch more next week. Best thing to do is to let people think what they want to think and instead of causing drama over conflicting opinions, just walk away.

Lee

The reason that I disagree with this partially is because I feel that a lot of the script was of course solely for the enjoyment of the audience with no real advancement plotwise. Doctor Who has always been heavily reliant on the participation and the connection it has with its audience. The writing is clever because of this. The momentum of the show is driven by it’s fans. And a lot of the things you mentioned (with the eggs etc.) were things which the audience would have been aware of but perhaps took a different, less serious approach to it than you did.
I do however agree with you about the character development/depth. Moffat’s trying to make his female characters strong whilst unknowingly turning them into “fighting f#ck toys” in the process. None of them have their own opinions, and they all seem to be there only to contribute to the Doctor’s ego. This in turn makes them docile and submissive, therefore they are really a lot weaker then they appear. It seems that Moffat thinks being sexually confident and being strong are the same things, because they’re not. A woman can be just as powerful without this element so blatantly attributed to them to create some weak sexual tension. The male characters seem to all run a similar course as well. Rory/Mickey for example; cowards at the beginning, courageous in the denouement. The binary structure between the male and female characters is also wearing thin. Making your male characters weak does NOT make your female characters stronger. The approach is too obvious.
Well written article, some good points. However I did enjoy the episode. I think we should all take into account that this is Oswin’s first appearance, and maybe Moffat won’t screw this one up (hopefully).

Ellie

(Wow, calm down commenters, it’s a review!)
I’ve only been getting into Doctor Who recently, and I’ve seen a few episodes by Moffat and a few by Russell T Davies and other pre-Moffat writers. I must say Moffat’s has been my favourite style of writing, probably due to the fact that I love his writing in Sherlock. But, people have been asking me “don’t you think he writes women really badly?” Having seen limited material of his, I had not noticed that (I love the characters of Sherlock’s Mrs Hudson and Molly’s!), however, after reading your review, I can’t help but agree with you on most of the points you made. I too hated the “soap-opera”/”info-dump” scene, and the “yesss!” bit, but I was also then able to see why people think he writes terrible female characters. I noticed her similarity to Irene Adler from Sherlock almost instantly, even in thr episode. They were pretty much exactly the same.

The Oswin/Adler/most Doctor Who female characters thing was really the only thing I noticed while watching the episode, as I was really enjoying the actual plot. But I have lost a little of my love for Moffat’s writing, and I still don’t think I can call myself a Doctor Who fan.

Naryn

I agree with you on some of the points but I think some of them you may have over exaggerated, the scene with Rory and the eggs was particularly dumb, but overall I still enjoyed it, the writing has definitely gotten worse since Moffat took over, but it’s still better than a lot on television today, and it was an improvement to the Season 5 premier. The thing I seem to like about Jenna-Louise Coleman is that she’s a character that instead of being saved by the Doctor saves him, with all the other recent companions they have been saved by him.

http://thiswasaspontaneousidea.wordpress.com/ Megan

Before I make comments on the episode- I’ve just read through loads of comments hating on Alex for this review- guys, its just his opinion. You’re now doing exactly what he did and your saying you don’t like it, that makes no sense.
Anyway, it wasn’t the best episode of Doctor Who ever, there were problems with it but I still think I’m gonna watch the show, give it a chance. Some of your points make a lot of sense but at the same time, the episode made me laugh- I personally enjoyed it at the end when he was skipping around the console saying his own name.

http://twitter.com/mundaneduah Tracy

You’re are being absolutely melodramatic about a bloody Doctor Who episode. It’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it. He didn’t like it, but you did – deal with it. What he wrote here has absolutely nothing to do with what he does on YouTube. It’s fans like you that put me off watching DW in the first place.

Nini

I realy can’t understand why so many of you are totaly freaking out about ,alex writing what he thinks!! I mean what did you expect when you clicked on a link saying “Giving Up On Doctor Who (Why I Hated Asylum Of The Daleks)”, didn’t you think it could be about why he is going to give up on doctor who?!
I too think that it was realy rude to say everyone who liked the episode has lower standards of television, but you don’t have to hate on his work because of this!! He is still the same even if he won’t watch doctor who until moffat goes (and I have to say he isn’t the only one looking forward to this day), even if he would have said, that he loves moffat and everyone who thinks different is stupid (which is totaly not my opinion) I would still listen to his musik and stuff!!! And if you haven’t liked him in the first place, why did you read this articel!!! I mean you don’t like him and hating on him now is just rude and stupid! If you don’t want to hear that asylum of the daleks was bad and if you hate alex day, than just DON’T click on an articel made by him about “giving up on doctor who”!!
Anyway I didn’t liked this episode either and I never realy liked moffat. But I will still watch doctor who because there are always some good episodes and I want to know what is going on, even if this will mean that I won’t like some of the stuff!

http://twitter.com/Feeches Feech Jean-Francois

I disagree. ^_^

Clara

GUYS. DON’T HATE. IT’S THAT SIMPLE.
Alex has an OPINION. One he is entitled to have and express, as it’s clearly not offensive or derogatory. Personally, I agree with some of the points in the article AND really enjoyed the episode. Why does this deserve such abuse?

Audrey Jo

But…Chameleon Circuit…what about CC?

Melissa

Would you guys get this angry if it was someone that you don’t know reviewing the episode? If you didn’t realise, this has nothing to do with his youtube channel. It’s by ‘Alex Day’, not ‘Nerimon’. Therefore there’s really no point bringing up the long story of how you unsubscribed three months ago etc etc etc. Feel free to disagree, but don’t bring up things about him.

Are you really so narrow minded to think that people aren’t always going to agree? Alex may think that he’s right (which he’s entitled to do, seeing as it’s his opinion), but he also acknowledges that others might not think the same. Maybe you guys should try that.

anon

Well, sure, he acknowledges that others might not think the same…by dismissing their opinion as objectively wrong and their taste as horrible, and characterizing those that disagree as part of the drooling tumblr masses to whom he claims the show now panders. I think *that’s* what’s getting everybody in a snit–*Alex’s* refusal to embrace diversity of opinion. In terms of writing choices, it was a stupid move to take on the condescending tone that he did in this piece.

Katie

This all makes me really fucking uncomfortable. Alex shouldn’t be judging other people for something so stupid but the comments are ganging up on him in a pretty sick way. It’s a show. Enjoy it.

http://www.facebook.com/andrew.duck.50 Andrew Duck

I just want to point out that Rory would not know what it is they say, the only time he has faced a Dalek before was in an aborted time line that he can only sometimes remember

Ashley

Well Alex, it’s perfectly fine to have a negative opinion of a show and to explain those negative opinions as you’ve done here. Unfortunately it personally hurt me to see you claim that anyone who liked the show has “lower standards” than you do. At first I couldn’t believe what I was reading…I couldn’t believe someone I actually watched, followed and supported for so long could be so mean-spirited. If you don’t like it and don’t want to watch it that’s fine, though I’ll lament seeing CC go down if the boys decide not to go on without you…just try to remember the golden rule every once in awhile.

I agree with you about a couple of the pointers in the show. A few things seemed to be fed a bit awkwardly and a bit forcefully on the audience but overall I actually enjoyed it. I certainly won’t be putting aside the show anytime soon.

I thought about going back through your article and giving my thoughts on other points you made but I don’t think I can stomach another read-through, so this will be the abrupt end to it. Instead I’ll just go cuddle my ‘feels’ and reblog gifs on tumblr.

Hopefully Charlie’s views on the show are either different or if he does dislike this episode, he will still continue to give Dr. Who a chance and won’t act as if he’s better for not liking the episode than those of us that did.

Jasmine

Okay.
1) People are saying that they unsubbed from Alex because he isnt funny anymore. I completely disagree. In my opinion, he gets funnier and funnier in each video.
2) I agree with some of the points Alex has made but not all of them.
3) Don’t hate on Alex/Unsubscribe just because he has a different opinion. You have your opinion and he has his. Leave him alone!

Bella

Hmm I have mixed feeling about this. I don’t wanna bash Alex for sharing his opinion (even though I REALLY don’t agree) but at the same time it was a little rude to say that if people don’t share your opinions, they have crappy taste. That’s exactly what an opinion article SHOULD NOT do. I’m not unsubscribing over this. But I think Alex might need a lesson in The Rules Of The Internet.

Lizzy

Alex you make some good points here… I personally really liked the episode but you have opened my eyes to things that I otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. Some people liked the episode, some people didn’t – Get over it people. Alex hasn’t done anything wrong by stating his opinion.

Lyndal

Bravo, Alex. I completely agree.

Copson

All I’m going to say is: complete human-to-Dalek conversions were already demonstrated in the finale of series one. That’s where the Emperor’s insane Dalek army came from, and where all the humans who were “disintegrated” in the Gamestation went.

Merjia

I agree with most parts, but I believe it’s just a classic Who “Miss” episode.
Yes the ending was cheesy, and I liked it better when the Daleks knew who the Doctor was, that was history, and that was interesting and cool.

But as for your point on the “full conversion” You are forgetting season 1, when the losing contestants of the Bad Wolf TV reality channel were converted into Daleks.

I was more concerned with the idea of Daleks suddenly being able to have a concept of beauty or feel fear.
I will continue watching in the hopes that it gets better and that this was just a one-off miss episode.

http://profile.yahoo.com/WNOKBWCDE32PHF5IXEFKRKFL3A Alana

They did not do a full conversion in Bad Wolf. He states the cells were harvested and new Daleks grown from those cells and his.

http://www.facebook.com/andrew.duck.50 Andrew Duck

also can you people shut the fuck up about Alex’s youtube and criticize the article as you would any other. I disagree with him, but I am not going to tell him his videos are shit to make my point valid

Jess

I’m not angry, Alex, I’m just disappointed that for the first time in my long history of watching you I feel like you’re looking down on me from a pedestal because I’m not smart enough to dislike something that, as you say, is indisputably bad television.

I have watched and loved your videos for years but the thing is Alex, this is just not good journalism. I am a games journalist by trade and it’s fine not to like something, but to tear it to pieces without being balanced (and instead by being malicious) is bad writing; opinion piece or no.

This show means a lot to me, and you do too. I’m not unsubscribing, I’m just disappointed.

Chloe

I agree with that, Jess. I don’t want to unsubscribe to his videos and I’m not going to say, like a lot of other people, that his videos have gone down in standards because some recent ones have been entertaining/interesting.
Moffat does have his flaws in writing certain characters, and yes, that episode maybe was a bit higgeldy-piggeldy, but you can’t just say that everyone who doesn’t have the same opinion as you is wrong because that’s not a good way to go about life.
I understand that you get a lot of your views and subscribers by dissecting lyrics and making fun of things, e.g. Twilight, which are hilarious and how I found you and why I subscribed but this is just a step too far, Alex.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

I agree that it’s not good journalism, but it wasn’t supposed to be. I would have just wrote this as a blog post, but I know LeakyNews allows opinion pieces on matters of fandom so I submitted it here instead for wider discussion.

Perhaps the debate should be more about LeakyNews’ editorial policy than my content specifically. In any case, I apologise for making you feel like I’m on a pedestal, because that’s not what I meant, and I don’t feel like that. I see it more like everyone else is on the ground and I’m lost in a bubble somewhere floating around not having a clue what’s going on, because clearly everyone else thought the episode was fine. By saying other people have lower standards I meant their standards are normal, and mine are apparently mental.

micky ansell

I agree with everything Alex has said, this was a bad episode, and not one the episodes since that has been any good, BUT every long running tv show has its dark days, fans just have to keep watching and hope that it pulls through, getting rid of Moffat for one may be a great way for it to do so, but maybe with this new doctor we can have a sense of maturity, whilst still appealing to everyone and not just kids. Time will tell.

TheApeinator

Some of Stevens episodes are good like:
Blink, Day of the Doctor, Deep

Breath, The girl in the fireplace and many more!
I straight out hated 6th season but 7b season was kinda good at times.

Happy Dude

Now there’s a way of dealing with criticism: “My work was bad? Great! That’s what I was going for!” I wonder if Steve Moffat could get away with saying that about this episode…

Adam

Its called being a hardcore fan, if you are a hardcore fan and see one of the greatest shows in the history of sci-fi being turned into a pile of crap then screw professionalism.

Chloe

Just to point out, the reason that Oswin didn’t turn into a hybrid is because nanobots were the ones that changed her, as well as the Daleks, so she fully turned into one, like all the other people had half done

Teatime

I don’t understand… How can opinion be wrong? Little of what you write above actually stands up to objectivity. Given that the purpose of television is to entertain and with some people the show patently succeeded in this regard, how can they be wrong? You can’t judge every show by the same standards. I wouldn’t watch Lost hoping for a laugh a minute comedy. Who is what it is and always has been – a fun, family show. That is, it’s aimed just as much at children aged 5 as adults, I think people forget that. I don’t know that the whole sexy woman thing is all Moffat – maybe it’s pressure from the producers? Maybe they don’t want to lose whatever demographic they won with Amy? Still offensive though, I agree.

Cat

Thank you alex. I completly agree, I was looking forward to the new series but the episode had huge plot holes and was badly written. As a fan of both Moffat and doctor who I was surprised, I can only hope that the other episodes are better, I really hope doctor who doesnt become another show which is made simpler (badly written), just to appeal to the easy-watching sector of the public.

lexi

To be honest, I don’t like how they all forgot the doctor. It’s going to end like that? The daleks forget him, the tension is gone, pretty much. The doctor doesn’t seem to hate to daleks as much as he used to. That’s the only problem I have, but it does seem like an interesting plot device in the future. Hopefully.

Sad, Frankly

I personally don’t think that in the end, while the doctor is running around saying Doctor Who? He’s meant in any way to be a fan of himself, rather that it is supposed to portray the kind of crazy-happy that always goes on with the character after he gets one over. I disagree with you, Alex, but that doesn’t make me stupid, but thank you for insinuating that.
I will not unsubscribe from you because I’m not a bitch, your videos are still funny and good, most of the time. You’re a strongly opinionated person and that is one of your defining characteristics, just try to be careful, you’re now just coming off unnaturalness mean. People who enjoy this episode have done nothing to you personally to warrant you thinking that they are somehow lesser because of their personal preferences.
No-one is asking you to like it Alex, just not to be such a dick about it? That would be lovely.

Thomas

I totally agree with alex. This episode was rubbish. He’s lost his faith becasue of numerous poor episodes, not just this one. This is the icing on the cake. Also, we’re here to discuss Doctor Who, not Alex’s youtube content. If you don’t want to to watch his videos anymore, then dont. He makes them for free, so leave when you want, I dont care if you’ve unsubscribed.

Chloe

He gets paid to make them. If we stop watching, he gets less money.

Josh

Actually Alex is partnered on YouTube to a network called ChannelFlip, who pay their YouTube partners a monthly salary which isn’t based off of the amount of views they get. So if Alex’s view count drops he won’t lose money at all.

Sad, Frankly

HOW MANY PEOPLE CALLED JESS ARE GOING TO COMMENT ON THIS ANYWAYS

Jess

Sorry, man.

Sadie

I kind of agree with Alex :/ i mean, granted some of the things he said were a little harsh, and i didnt agree with all of them. But i totally agree with him when it comes to Oswin. Her character has already been done. Alot. And she was quite annoying (although jenna-louise coleman acted her very well). I also agree with him with what he said about Rory, yeah at first, in previous episodes, him being a bit silly was quite cute and funny, But in this episode it just felt overdone, and it made Rorys character seem a bit shallow.
Appart from that i did quite enjoy the episode, atlthough it wasent the best.
And before anyone says it, im not just agreeing with Alex because im like a “Super fan” or anything.

Zorganist

Alex, you also missed out the really massive plot hole where the Daleks build a prison for their most deranged and violent members and then protect it with a forcefield that can only be deactivated from THE INSIDE- who builds a prison only the prisoners can get out of?

That, and the fact that Daleks have suddenly developed representative democracy; if they have a quasi-hive mind, all daleks should agree over everything they do, so there is no need for a Parliament, never mind the fact that in every other appearance the Daleks have been led autocratically by either Davros, an Emperor or Supremes.

And on your point about the total conversion thing, didn’t that happen way back in the Chris Eccleston era? The Daleks in the finale were explained as having been mutated from human prisoners, if I remember correctly.

I wouldn’t call the episode bad television, it was perfectly good television with some bad writing errors- and it certainly wouldn’t be fair to judge the entire season on the basis of one episode. That being said, I’m not holding out much hope for the next one- never been a massive fan of ‘silly’ Who.

Sophie

Why are there so many Katie’s!?

Alice

I disagree with a lot of this article, I think it was a nice episode, and I didn’t feel like punching Oswin at all. I quite liked her.
THAT BEING SAID, I feel no desire to unsubscribe from Alex, because sometimes people disagree with each other. It doesn’t matter!

Liv

Fine to have an opinion, fine to dislike the episode to extreme lengths as you appear to do. I certainly agree with the woman thing here, it would be nice to have a variation (although I enjoy the over-confident genius women character because I’d rather that then pathetic damsel in distress women). However telling people that if they did enjoy the episode then they are obviously sub-standard is just rude.

Natalie

I couldn’t agree with you more. The first thing I said when it finished was ‘well that’s dissappointing.’ Moffat is a brilliant writer he is but there are far too many story arks that still need to be concluded. I’m worried he’s going to give us a bunch of answers in the 50th episode and its been so long since they were posed that people will forget or not care anymore. Season 5 and the first half of season 6 were brilliant. I understand not wanting to wrap everything up in a season is too simple. I will keep watching the show because I still love it I just hoped after 8 months of waiting the episode would have given me that feeling like I must see the rest of the series now. And this episode hasn’t. Oh well he has four more episodes to change that.

Sadie

Also, i cant help but feel, since Moffat started writing most of the Doctor who episodes, i have been dissapointed with more episodes than i had been when Russel wrote them.

http://www.facebook.com/justan00b Nick Duffy

So much Ad Hominem, both in the article and the comments…

AndyO

Rory’s never seen the Daleks, so he wouldn’t know what they say.

Aoife

The real problem here, I think, is not that the quality of the show has decreased. It’s that we’re all older and more experienced, more able to pick up on tiny details in the show, and therefore expect more from it. Rory’s ‘eggs’ sketch seemed trivial and unnecessary but younger viewers (the show’s original target audience) wouldn’t have picked up on Oswin’s ‘eggs’ thing without it being demonstrated earlier on in the show. The writers need to make sure that every viewer understands what’s going on, so the Amy-and-Rory-’info-dump’ has its use too. Amy IS explaining for the audience’s benefit, regardless of whether they need it explaining to them or not, so as not to alienate younger audiences.

It’s not a case of having lower standards – Doctor Who is primarily a children’s show, and should be judged as such. It’s not fair to hold it to the same expectations as you would any other show.

Sophie

I don’t believe you should just give up on a show because you didn’t like one episode. There are many of your videos that I don’t like (the countless ‘omg please buy my music I want to get in the charts and prove record companies wrong lol not really it’s just cos i want more money and publicity’) but I haven’t unsubscribed to you because I know you do make funny videos that make me laugh. I don’t give up on your videos, I give them chances. You’ve been watching this show for years, you’re in a band based on it, and you’re gonna give up on it after ONE episode?

Oh and (childish comment) I bet ‘Asylum of the Daleks’ is a million times better than the doctor who episode you’ve been writing.

geekyninja

I do agree with Alex on the points he made, I too had this rant with my dad after it finished. I still consider myself a fan and I will continue watching doctor who Don’t get so worked up about it in the comments, it’s just 1 persons opinion ^_^

anoymous

go away, alex.

http://twitter.com/hfrery Hélène Frery

I do agree on some points like the saving of amy and rory’s marriage but, seriously you could have wrote this article in a more polite manner. I respect some of your points but starting with “And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.” and then “Let me lay all this out for you” like we’re some 5 year old who don’t know anything is patronizing and incredibly arrogant.
I’m all for everyone having different opinions but I’m firmly against being rude to anyone having a different opinion.
Maybe next time you write your opinion on something you could go at it more politely and this will ensure people don’t get pissed and it will convey your message more effectively.

rose

I thought it was awful, too.

James

Oh, Alex. I’m afraid to say I completely disagree with every word. However, you can’t say you’re ‘done’ with Doctor Who as every episode is different. There are always going to be episodes that you liked better than others. That’s what you have to expect as a viewer of the show. You can’t just give up on the programme because you didn’t like one episode.

rose

He can give up on the show if that’s what he wants to do, and for you to tell him that he can’t say that he’s done with it is kind of rude and pushy. He doesn’t like the show, get over it. It’s just a TV show.

Sarah

Well, he quite clearly DOES like the show if you did some research. It’s this episode he didn’t like. And the guy wasn’t being rude and pushy.

Sammi

Exactly. If anything it’s quite rude of Alex to say that we all have low standards!

http://twitter.com/RachelFreckles Rachel Crane

I think Alex has some blunt and beautifully whovian points. If any of you out there actually spent time speaking to true whovians you would see how much they criticise and discuss doctor who and how sickeningly strong and close minded their opinions are. Alex is just one of the masses. But when discussing an opinion, it might not be a great idea to put “objectively” after every opinionated point, it seems to validate it, somehow. Don’t. Stop it. It just hurts people. Objectively speaking.
I have also the same strong opinions about The Moffat series, how it has come away from the light-and-shade, tongue-and-cheek doctor who that i’ve grown up with, how moffat has repeatedly told us that he ‘writes for matt smith, not the doctor because he just IS the doctor’ you can’t just expect an actor to carry a whole series on his own, very talented, back!
I say my opinions because Doctor who means something to me. But what Alex has done is had a mad rant post-episode reaction and assumed everyone is ridiculous for liking the episode. I actually quite liked the episode. The way I take Doctor Who now is I just let it wash over me, all of Moffat’s in-jokes and flaff just passes me by and I try to let it just be as an episode I won’t watch a million times like the Tennant series. I just want a decent doctor who episode. No more ego tickling, no more movie-themes (pirates of the Caribbean, westerns) because it looks cinematic. I want the humor, good character development and a doctor that is not matt smith, i want matt smith playing The Doctor. My doctor. Objectively speaking. (Oh, Alex…)
Alex, stop thinking you’re so wonderful, you are a human. You don’t have to be wonderful, you just have to be you and we’ll love you for it. And no, thinking you’re wonderful is not a part of you. Woah paradox. But that’s a whole other discussion on the topic of ego. Stick through the sh** Alex, stay true to your opinions but don’t be nasty about it and stay happy. Because you deserve to be.
Rachel Crane, 19 years old.

CountingDucks

i don’t understand why people are hatting on Alex Day right now, he has written an artical expressing his opinions on the show just like he had always done in reviews on games and t.v shows on his channel. youtube is about being honest and yourself which is what he is doing. he shouldn’t change for anyone. it is obvious that more of his videos will involve his music as volgs are about talking about what is going on in your life and as he becomes more successful his life will have more emphasis on music as will his videos. i like Alex and will always support him no matter what his veiws on doctor who are, i have found myself that the show has been going down hill graduelly for some time…

Grace

I think for most people, myself included, it’s that Alex made the point of saying that he has higher standards and basically if people like this episode they have low standards. I would agree with some of the points he makes, but i won’t stand for being told that just because i like something, i am somehow below him.

http://www.facebook.com/megan.pearson.731 Megan Pearson

What’s wrong with having higher/lower standards? Do you even know what that means? It’s an opinion. He has high standards so he’s harder to please, I have low standards and get excited over really stupid stuff. He’s not saying you’re dumb for liking it. He’s saying he didn’t.

Jake

If there was ever a case of pot calling kettle black this would be it.

meg

Whether or not i agree or disagree with you is irrelevant because the fact of the matter is that its a children’s television show. It’s not designed for the 20 somethings so obviously the plot isn’t going to be perfect or mind blowing. Its just a bit of fun for children and families, get over it.

Claire

While I agree with some of your points, especially the one about Moffat having a problem with writing women’s characters, I feel like this article is just pure hate. Unbalanced and unfair.

You are right on many things though, but this article just makes you sound malicious, which I know you aren’t.

Alice

Personally, I enjoyed the episode and yes maybe it might have been bad television to some people or even categorically, but as with anything – films, books, music, art – whether something is bad or good is down to the individual doing the observing, listening, reading, whatever. I never watch things as a critic I just go along and see whether I enjoy it. If I had watched it as an example of television or scriptwriting then I may have agreed with your points (except the info-dump one).
So yes, I disagree with you but I also disagree with these people hating you for sharing your opinion. Life is a matter of opinion and imagine how boring it would be if everyone’s was the same!

Emily

I agree that this episode wasn’t as good as the last one but I refuse to give up on it, I’ve been watching it since I was ten and I still remember the playground arguments I used to have with my friends over who got to play the doctor and who played rose! It breaks my heart to even think about not watching! Its ridiculous, its got too many twists and its repetitive but I love it. If that makes you better than me because I enjoy watching something from my childhood so be it. You probably won’t care about my opinions, in fact I don’t think you should but I respect you a lot less after this article.

BVannillie

I think you have a lot to learn Alex. You are entitled to your opinion, but having an opinion doesn’t make you right and it doesn’t mean that anyone who doesn’t share it is worth less then you. What a horribly arrogant thing for you to say. And you’ve shot yourself in the foot I think because you have some valid points but the way you’ve presented them has made them worthless. Next time you critique something I’d take the time to think about what you are writing, because you obviously didn’t with this (which is kind of hypocritical since you’ve bashed Moffat for the same thing). Oh dear.

Lois

I completely agree! Even though it’s sci-fi there has to be some sense and meaning behind things. I also thought the wristband thing could have been better. Why did the daleks give the doctor one if he didn’t need it? They know he’s a timelord. It just seemed like something forced to happen so they could create the subplot where the Doctor revived Amy and Rory’s relationship.

I was left wondering how they’re going to write this new companion in if she’s a dalek. Are they going to undo this ‘full conversion’ somehow? I’ve also read a lot of conspiracies about who Oswin is. Some people seem to think she is some relation to the doctor’s daughter. Explaining the use of the same prop (though they probably just reuse props) and her intelligence. (Also if she is, maybe that’s why they could do a conversion better than that hybrid… because she’s not human).

I’ll still watch this series. I’m not put off by one bad episode, although this dinosaur thing doesn’t look too good. It seems like the writers have sat down and thought ‘Let’s mix new and old… oh I know spaceships and dinosaurs!’.

Becca

What people don’t seem to understand is that it has nothing to do with him not liking the episode, it’s his attitude. Who cares if he didn’t like the episode? There are loads of Doctor Who episodes I don’t like. It’s the fact that he was unapologetically insulting about it. It is amateurish at the very least, and incredibly conceited. Only a mindless fool would do that.

Anne

Very much agreed. Well put. Thanks.

James

Agreed.

Casey

Thanks, bro. I totes agree,

Lilith Keehl

What I think Alex has failed to emphasize is that what has happened here was miscommunication brought by his wrong choice of words. When he says: “I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do”, he only meant to say that his own standards is high nigh perfectionism

If Alex is ‘bashing’ anybody’s standards, he’s bashing his.

http://www.facebook.com/issy.flower.9 Issy Flower

To be honest, I agree with some of these points. Yes, Rory wasn’t exactly at his peak, yes, Oswin was nearly the same as everyone else, yes, Moffat was not at his best. But it was still enjoyable.

http://www.facebook.com/DJGigabyte Daniel Norton

Have you seen much of Classic Doctor Who (1963-1989)? Because it doesn’t seem like you have. The post reads as someone who started watching during Davies era and then never ventured into the previous Doctors very much.

A lot of your criticisms seem to be complaining about things which were present in Doctor Who from the very beginning. For the entire original run, Doctor Who was done in a certain way, built around the premise of shaky continuity, inadequate scientific explanations and an all around silly show with occasional moments of sentiment. Then Russell T Davies decided that when he revived the show, it would be done his way, changing the tone of the show completely. Now that Moffatt has taken over, he’s gone back to a lot of the things associated with the original show, and these seem to be the things you have a problem with. Just remember, when comparing stuff to Davies, he’s the exception, not the rule.

One specific example I want to pick up on is the “human Dalek”. This isn’t a case of “Russell T Davies came up with this idea and Moffatt messed it up”. At the end of season 4, in the story Evil of the Daleks, the Doctor (at this point played by Patrick Troughton, my personal favourite Doctor), creates Dalek/Human hybrids. Which are Daleks. Davies then went in a completely different direction with Dalek Sec, and then Moffatt came back around to the original idea. Moffatt doesn’t need to justify the change, since it isn’t a change, it’s just the original idea that he’s using.

I do accept that the show has a lot of the flaws that you mentioned, but for me, that’s what I enjoy about the show. It’s isn’t overly complex, and doesn’t spend too much time with lengthy explanations. I do enjoy sci-fi shows like that, but that isn’t the appeal of Doctor Who, it’s just a nice show that I can just enjoy without having to over think everything.

If the flaws of the show annoy you so much that you can’t get over them, then I agree that it’s probably time for you to stop watching the show. Maybe try watching some Star Trek, or other sci-fi shows developed for a more adult audience, which will hopefully have less of the flaws you picked up on.

And no, this review doesn’t affect how I feel about your YouTube channel, your music, Sopio or you as a person =)

Sally

Thank you, I agree.

Tombo

I didn’t have any qualms with Oswin being converted – in Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways, the Daleks are made from humans from the Game Station. Also, weren’t the Daleks all originally made out of Davros’ cells?

Enthusiast

I’m sorry but, what? I realize I’m a little late to this comment party but I am having a hard time swallowing what you have written here. It’s clear you know more about the whoverse than I do, I will not deny that I began with the revamp in 05. However as a writer (hobby only) I sort of find what you said insulting. That’s my fault, It’s obvious it was never your intent, but I just can’t comprehend anyone attempting to justify bad writing.

I can respect people appreciating classic who, but you wrote about it as if inconsistency was the always the grand plan. When it’s more likely that the result of constant change in writers, and that back then it wasn’t really considered as important to keep track of that sort of thing. It’s only really been in the last 10 years (and some shows that were ahead of their time, that really paid attention to such detail, even the old startrek was quite inconsistent.

Moffat can be quite brilliant, and I understood his desire to return to the old, but like Alex stated, Moffat’s utter refusal to awknowledge past events is infuriating. He’s inconsistent and has even ignored rules that he invented in past episodes, which is just lazy and arrogant. The Weeping Angels being a prime example.

I understand the nostalgia for classic who, but bad writing is bad writing, to justify it is simply one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen and can be interpreted as a bash to all of those other writers out there who spend long hours making sure everything matches up for the readers benefit.

While you didn’t outright say it, you hinted at it by suggesting Alex watch more Adult oriented Sci Fi shows, which implies you think it’s okay for a show directed towards youth to be okay to have bad and inconsistent writing. that’s simply a disservice to them and I’m sorry you feel that way.

Tes

I really did enjoy this episode, especially viewing it as a piece of family entertainment – which it is. Alex had some valid points buried in there certainly, I do think there are instances in it in which Moffat could be called guilty of fandom pandering. But although I can understand not liking the episode, I can’t imagine quitting the show over it without waiting to see how the season develops, nor being provoked into unleashing this hypercritical tyrade, and the way the article was written is doing nothing to try and make me understand. Insulting those who have a different opinion is no way to validate an already unbalanced argument.

Ollie

I would comment, but I’m obviously too stupid as I found this episode the best yet.

Pharell

The funny thing is no matter how many people are ripping this article apart, it’s actually spot on. From the confusing plot to Oswin’s character, Alex actually put into words what I was feeling but too scared to admit. Where do all these Daleks come from? This may perhaps be explained later but I was confused throughout the episode because according to my understanding they were locked in time, destroyed in the battle of canary wharf and constant battles after where they are supposedly destroyed. Alex’s point about Oswin’s character being just like River’s, is extremely valid, I was actually a bit perturbed during the episode where I though Oswin/Clara was behaving almost too much like River. So that’s what I felt, it may get better from here but this was definitely not as good as the series 6 or series 5 opener.

Jake

In your opinion. What is it with people thinking that they speak for everyone?

Pharell

“So that’s what I felt”

g

“The funny thing is no matter how many people are ripping this article apart, it’s actually spot on.”

Pharell

And in the end I say, that’s what I felt.

Caroline

Why are people hating on this so intensely? They’re not picking flaws with the initial argument written, but with the writer Alex himself. Which is absolutely ridiculous. People take the word opinion and hide behind it, as if it grants them to say what they wish about a person. Bullying almost.

I really enjoyed Doctor Who, like I always do, because Doctor Who is allowed to be awful. The amount of hype that was built up surrounding the start of series seven was immense. Of course it wouldn’t live up to everyone’s expectations. But I thought it was a decent start. Yes, Oswin is the stereotypical companion and I guess I would prefer her to be a little bit more like Donna as the flirty-romance cycle with the Doctor is seriously overused. But then again, how can a single female girl not develop some kind of feelings for a man that takes her to to stars?

Some of the points that Alex made were valid, and he didn’t write a bad article at all. It was funny. People getting worked up about the whole “lower standards,” and “feel free to disagree” comments are just being really rather silly. Because I found it rather comical. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems as if that’s the kind of stance he was going for, a little bit of humour to take the edge of criticism off? I could be wrong though, and even if I was…

Does it really matter? The people who comment angrily on here just seem silly.

dan

Apparently Alex Day speaks for everyone who watches Doctor Who now.

Underclass Underdog

He speaks for me,

Long time fan, he nailed what was wrong with the shoe now, just a shame he didn’t suss it from the start like so many others.

Lois

I think people need to understand that this is an article. Articles are generally hugely critical and unbalanced. It wouldn’t have been very good if he went ‘well yeah this episode was a bit naff but I’m still going to watch it as normal’.

Also, why is his content on youtube being brought into the equation? Yeah, I agree that it has gotten to the point where it feels he’s repetitively trying to sell you something, but if you don’t want to buy it then don’t! The only one of Alex’s songs I really like is ‘Good Morning Sunshine’, but I don’t complain or unsubscribe. I get on with it and hope the next video is better. You’re all complaining he’s so ‘audience aware’ yet he still continues to make songs when people complain because it’s what HE wants to do. He’s just not becoming a puppet and doing what his audience wants – he’s doing what he enjoys. I hate it when youtubers ask their audience what sort of things they want to see in future videos.

*

jesus. this is reminiscent of your old diaryland posts, alex.

http://www.facebook.com/atbutcher Alan T Butcher

Alex you are taking some really odd positions in this article, honestly none of your criticisms make any sense except as a really odd personal taste and some of the would even stand up to that low bar. Have another think, I am sure you will come to your senses.

Sam

What annoys me is that you always say you’re equal to your fans, just because you have a bigger audience doesn’t make you superior, this article threw it all out the of the window, you’re just a arrogant hypocrite/

Jake

who cares what this guy thinks? he’s a kid who writes songs on youtube for christ’s sake.

Derek

Well, that’s a fair criteria on which to judge him, I’m sure. And how you make YOUR money makes you better than him, I suppose. Get off your pedestal.

Lauren

Just addressing your paragraphs:

2) I think it’s more that Rory didn’t care that she couldn’t have kids. Or rather, he needed her more than he needed kids. It’s cliché, but I think it brought something to the scene. The dynamics of their relationship have been almost reverse, which I found quite interesting.

4) To be perfectly honest, I’d have mistaken the pod things as eggs too. Rory wasn’t a “moron”, he panicked. How would you react when one of the most dangerous aliens you’ve come across says something to you and you suddenly fear for your life? And Daleks don’t just say “Exterminate” and you know it. Or were you asleep for the first part of the episode?

5) I’ll give you that the “predator” thing was annoying but I thought that the full conversion makes sense. They had already perfected the technology, they just had no need to turn the other humans into full Daleks. The first hybrid things’ purpose was to trick the Doctor, the soufflé girl’s purpose (due to her intelligence) was to help the Daleks. We also saw that another Dalek was there at her “full conversion”, perhaps a fully automated planet would be unable to make a full conversion again, so only those hybrids were made. I think that makes sense. The Daleks wouldn’t waste technology needed for a “full conversion” on non-geniuses anyway. What I don’t understand is how they could have a conversation with her without cottoning on that she had a Dalek voice. Unless her normal voice is what they could hear for some reason.

7) Rory does have a big nose. The Doctor does have a large chin. Part of Oswin’s character is that she flirts and teases. This was how she flirted and teased. Don’t know about Carla though. is just making you a patronising prick, but lets not make this personal.

And saying that “I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do”
is just making you a patronising tosser, but lets not make this personal.

Kyra

This article did not upset me in the least.
(…because I WAS a bit disappointed with Asylum of the Daleks. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but maybe because I didn’t think it was smart at all. It didn’t wow me. I wasn’t blown away, squeezing a pillow, and counting down the days to episode 2.)What does really upset me is everyone’s reaction to the article!
Alex is allowed to have his own opinions! He can love Doctor Who and be disappointing with the show! He can make music and make money of it! UG!Everyone is soooooo dramatic!!
Alex, if you read this… please know not everyone is such an ass-faced baby who can’t handle disagreement.You’re talented, funny, and wonderful. And no, I will not unsubscribe.
Thanks!

Yuki

Am I one of the only people who actually agrees with the article? Whenever I was watching it last night, I picked out various plot holes. Because these plot holes were there from the very beginning, it ruined the episode from the start.
Maybe Alex hasn’t been enjoying the show for a while, seeing as the past two seasons have just been repeating themselves.

Pharell

No, same here, I think it was a poor episode simple as that, not smart, attractive and fun like Doctor Who usually is. Let’s put it this way my adrenaline wasn’t pumping, I didn’t feel any emotions, I didn’t smile because of epicness, I just consumed this episode because it was Doctor Who.

This is my opinion and I do not speak for the human race. (For my dignity)

Zoey

I personally enjoyed this episode. However, the points you made were valid and i can completely understand where you’re coming from.

Jenna

And there I was thinking I had quite good taste in TV! Thank you Alex for making me realise that I’m actually an idiot. I bow to your obvious superiority.

Kyra

Too many Ollie’s are commenting!
It looks schizophrenic!!

poppit

The sad thing about this is that even if you agree with the points he made his attitude is still really harsh in this article and the way he talks down to people is really not acceptable, and all the people here saying that it is is really unfortunate. You don’t have to be shitty to people to make a good point it’s sad that so many people think this is ok.

http://www.facebook.com/randi.chambers.18 Randi Chambers

Am I the only one that actually agrees with him? Ive been saying most of this stuff from the beginning.

g

good for you

Underclass Underdog

Nope, you aren’t the only one. I think Alex, like most, was duped by the flashybang of Moff. Now he’s discovered what we knew all along, Dr Who is now shit. So Alex, thinking about his rep, as had to make it known he as finally woken up to sham Who.

Mark

All i can say is wait for the coming episodes before making a judgement on the first episode. as doctor who fans we know that the twists and plot turns and the suttle ideas and hints in doctor who can make for riviting and exciting television, also alex is entitled to his opinion, so let him have one. This is my opinion however, the first episode of Doctor who had flaws but overall was a very successful first episode, ALOT better than smiths first episode and the opening of last seasons, i dont rate Moffat as a great writer, but he’s good at creating subplots and ideas that the casual watcher would miss out on . All in all this (for me ) was a good episode, not the best ever, but a goos start to what i preict to be a tremendos season with Clara Oswin entering in december and the death of Amy and rory (which is going to be a great exit),
Alex has his own opinion here which i disagree with but thats what is so great about humans( what doctor who promotes himself), we are opionated and are different, thats what makes us , us.

Gizmo

Guys I think Alex Day has turned into a Dalek.

http://www.facebook.com/HannahCooper.TW Hannah Cooper

I actually quite agree with this article, especially the part about Rory, why do they always portray him as a bit of a moron? It was like ‘Yes Rory, you’re in here with a bunch of crazy-ass Daleks, all they want is eggs…’ I was like what they hell. However the end bit where all the Daleks were going ‘DOCTOR WHO?’ I must admit I really did like that bit.

Riley

Because it is comical in an immature way which relates to children which I know for sure made them laugh. It made me laugh too. Why analyse jokes, it is just pointless.

xo

too many Beccas

Matt M

Thank you, Alex, for inadvertently offering us a case study on celebrity/fan relationships. This is fascinating stuff.

jhubeJELLO

Alex Day writes an article knowing it will spark outrage within the Doctor Who community. Any publicity is good publicity, right Alex?

Claire

Maybe i’ll write an article about how utterly shit your music is, how awful your channel has become and how you think your opinion matters when it doesn’t, how your ego has gone crazy and how I have lost respect for you because my taste is better then everyone else’s and if you don’t agree you’re an idiot. Objectively.

Paul

No because that would make you a dick. Oh wait…

Paul

To clarify I was taking the piss, because that’s exactly what he did and therefore he’s a dick.

Karen

Claire, you’re missing the point entirely. His opinion /does/ matter, and so does yours, and so does mine. He said “And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.” That’s not “My taste is better than yours and if you don’t agree you’re an idiot!” He’s pointing out the fact that he’s critical. He sees flaws and is upset by them more than other people and he admits this. It’s not putting you down. I will say that it was a poorly written statement, but honestly that doesn’t give any real reason to bite his head off. He disliked the episode. He gave examples of why he disliked the episode. You, however, have not. You stated no reason why you hate the article or Alex, although I’m sure you have reasons, and instead sniped at him.
Regarding the tumblr fans who gif anything they can and write ‘OMG the feels!”, that was admittedly a rather rude way to put it. I don’t agree with that part of the article. Most fans of the show (including myself) who go on tumblr also see flaws in the episodes and characters. We have feelings. We get emotional. We gif. But we see the problems with the show, too.
Frankly, if you want to unsubscribe because his music is ‘shit’, his channel is ‘awful’ and his ego has ‘gone crazy’, then do it the way Danny did: Just unsubscribe.

Underclass Underdog

So what makes you so special then? Make any music yourself? Got the world digging you tubevids? No, you haven’t so shut the fuck up. Stop being so jealous of Alex’s success you pathetic nobody

Lowenna

I completely agree with you for the majority of what have said here. I hate Oswin. She is almost exactly the same as River and I have always hated River, too.They’re annoyingly and overly flirtatious with their intelligence and The Doctor falls for it every time. I also hate how Oswin didn’t turn into that human-dalek hybrid too.
However, I don’t agree with your bit on the ‘infodump’ part. Yes, I didn’t like Amy’s line of “Ever since Demon’s run they did something to me..” either, because I felt like that would be the obvious reason as to why she can’t have children and that we could easily have worked that out for ourselves. Her saying “I can’t have kids” isn’t infodumping. Yes, it’s telling Rory what he already knows but she is actually telling him that’s the reason why she wanted the divorce. She didn’t just break the fact that she can’t have children to him there and then. It was just a more dramatic way of saying “I wanted a divorce because I can’t have kids and I know you have always wanted kids”. It wasn’t infodumping at all.
All the other ‘issues’ you have raised in this article I am indifferent towards. I don’t believe they have lowered the quality of the episode at all. And one, only slightly bad episode should not be a reason to give up on the series all together. But even if you did give up on it, I wouldn’t care. This is your opinion that I do not fully agree with and you are of course, entitled to it. But regardless of whether I agree with you or not, I do believe that the way you have gone about expressing your opinion is unfair. You have actually been pretty rude in this article which is rather unjustified.
Next time, be a bit more mature and professional about it.

Jennifer

Alex, all the points you made were fairly valid but being a condescending, obnoxious person while making those points really wasn’t necessary.

Riley

I would love to know what Charlie’s opinion was. On the episode, and on this article.

g

Charlie is actually a nice person who doesn’t think he’s better then everyone so even if he doesn’t like the ep I doubt he’d sink to this douchery.

Maylan

A lot of the comments below are a bit on the ridiculous side and whoever is talking about his videos and music – irrelevant. All day I was excited for the newest episode to come out in America and I finally got to watch it. I read Alex’s twitter posts about hating Oswin and disliking the episode, but I was hoping it was just personal opinion. Yeah, I wanted to punch Oswin in the face and I kept trying to like her, I really did. But no, I could not.

The episode didn’t feel like Doctor Who at all! Everything in this article makes sense – I don’t think Rory ever met a Dalek, but that’s about it. Rory didn’t feel like Rory, Amy was NOT Amy Pond and the Doctor was definitely not the Doctor I remember loving. Nothing felt right. I felt like I was watching a really bad fan-fiction turned into a movie. There is nothing worse than bad writing and character development in a show. I hope to god that this season gets better because I will be absolutely crushed if it does not pick up. It could have been so good – everything could have been amazing.

Did anyone realize the epic music had also gone?

I’m just sad and I’m glad that other people have felt the same way. So I guess I’m saying this article makes me feel a lot better.

Souravi

I just finished watching the episode and I have to say I agree, as well as disagree on a lot of points with you Alex.

First, I really liked the episode. Although I would agree that part of my liking was just because of the new season premiere excitement. But having said that, if this would have been a mid-season episode I would easily given it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Second, yes I partly agree on “”She is a beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident woman who can do things the Doctor can’t”. Did you think of Amy Pond, Sally Sparrow, or River Song? Or did you think of the new character in this episode, who is exactly the same as all of these other characters? “” But then again Alex, this is just the 1st episode. Give the Show time to show us other dimension’s of Oswin’s character. I’m sure Moffat isn’t stupid enough to give us a new character(who is also a future companion) who resembles other significant characters of the show.

Third, I would disagree on your opinion that Rory was an idiot. I thought he had some of the best moments in the episode.
However I would agree that Amy-Rory’s backstory was very badly sketched. Okay, they split up and are getting divorced and then they kiss and make up within few seconds??!! That part looked stupid. While watching that part, I for one thought(or rather hoped) that maybe their fighting would continue for a few more episodes and then have an epic ending before Christmas special.

Fourth: Speaking of ‘contuinity’, how can you 100% surely say that this is just after the last time we saw the Daleks? They can very easily be at a different time era.

Fifth: I found The Doctor reintroducing himself to the Daleks quite normal…something that you would expect The Doctor to do considering how he likes to tease his enemies.

Lastly I would just like to say that I totally respect your opinion on the show and episode. As a viewer you have the right to criticise the show just as much as I have the right to praise it. However when you say things like ” I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do ” , it feels really humiliating. Here’s a quick fact for you- I’m from India and I had no idea in the world what Doctor Who was because the show has never aired here. That was before I discovered you on youtube. It was through your videos(not Charlie or Liam because I started watching them long after I started watching you) only that I discovered the show and fell in love with it. And then when you write things like this , it REALLY feels humiliating. That is all… I wouldn’t unsubscribe or anything like a lot of other commentators have said…but yes I am hurt.

Roxanne

I believe people are getting far too offended and touchy. Especially with the line about people who enjoyed the episode having lower standards. Relax. That is his opinion. You have yours. Let’s just go about our lives now. Just because he disagrees with you, and vice versa, it doesn’t mean he is a horrible human being and you should unsubscribe and tear him down with your words (Hypocrisy by the way, which you have accused him of in the article.) Alex has an opinion, if it’s different from yours you don’t have to throw a tantrum and make a huge deal out of it because (I’m assuming) you are a civilized human being.
Just forget about it and go on with your life as if you hadn’t read this, if it is bothering you so much.

David Tennant

A wee bit unjust don’t you think?

http://twitter.com/Andrada94 Andrada94

I agree, but it’s just an episode. Why give up watching a tv series because of that? You’re slightly overreacting.

Nickie

Holy crap, Alex. I loved the episode but still THIS. THIS IS [almost] PERFECT. Especially about the way that Oswin is just. like. everyone. else.

ravenclaw1991

Alex is a cool person, but I just disagree with this completely. I do NOT have low standards for television. My standards are rather high, I will not watch just anything. So I believe this was an amazing episode.
1) Admittedly, I do agree Moffat does introduce a lot of “smart, sexy women” but I like it. I mean, would you rather have a stupid companion? No. She needs to be smart. Beautiful is just to help lure in new viewers going “oh she’s hot!”
2) I thought the “EGGS!” part was hilarious and the part with Rory asking the Dalek if the spheres were ‘eggs’ was completely valid. He was in shock to find himself there, a bit of stupidity was natural.
3) Rory knew Amy couldn’t have kids, but she was explaining why she threw him out. She was giving him up so that he could go find a woman that can give him kids. That is why she was explaining herself.
4) Rory Williams is a total BAMF. He always has been, even if he was thrown into the background. I mean, did you no see that dive and roll he did avoiding the Daleks and the epic slide under the door?
5) I didn’t get the whole “predator” thing, but it was alright. I was more concerned about “where the hell did this parliament of Daleks come from if there were only like 5 Daleks left?
6) The whole “Doctor Who?” thing was probably to remind us of everything. I think the Doctor was just making fun of the whole situation when he was running around the TARDIS saying “Doctor Who?”
7) Well… Rory does have a bit of a nose, but the bus driver at the beginning has a HUGE one. It was just showing that Oswin, while smart, can still enjoy humor. I’ve met smart people that are boring as hell. They were showing both sides of her. and I agree, the Doctor doesn’t really have a big chin. She should’ve just mocked his bowtie like everyone else.

fauxspectacles

For you to say it is “inaccurate” that Rory has a big nose and the Doctor has a big chin is silly, because they do. Also, I think it is patently untrue that Amy is the only person to make fun of
Rory’s big nose or the Doctor’s big chin. THE DOCTOR, for one, has done
it as well. When I look at Rory and The Doctor an objective viewer of faces I think,
“Nose!” and “Chin!” Why, back before Matt Smith took over for Tennant, I
looked up his picture and thought, “Yikes! Can I get behind a Doctor
with SO MUCH FACE?” The answer was yes: I love his face,
but let’s not pretend like his chin isn’t a super-dominant and fabulous part
of it. I find this particular support for your argument that I have bad taste in television extremely weak.

Guest

I’m actually going to attempt to change your mind here. I genuinely agree with most of your points: in that yes I am disappointed in Moffat’s women. As soon as i saw Jenna, I knew that we weren’t going to be treated with anything different. Even River Song…she was good to begin with, a mystery. However the resolution with her and the way she acted in series 6 i found mostly annoying. Indisputably, I think RTD was much better at characters. However you cant deny that Moffat creates interesting back stories and dynamics between characters. Nothing better than the Doctor meeting Amy as a young girl and the tender relationship they have.

I also didn’t buy the whole unable to have kids thing. I usually love the relationship between these two and their comments were too throw away. You would think after all they have been through they deserved a more dramatic and complicated explanation than this for their break up and for it to be more involved rather than something that just randomly happened and then was quickly resolved. However I am interested to see where the story of the Ponds is going in the next few episodes. I’m not going to be too disappointed yet!

Another thing that is annoying me is these overreaching story arcs. Sometimes it is genuinely really cool and rewarding but I think it is taking away from the the episodes and the basic storytelling itself.

You talk of continuity but Doctor Who has never put much store in it really and even explanations for changing the history of something are always a bit silly and uninformative. You can always pick holes when it comes to continuity but then as Doctor Who fans that is what we do and we kind of enjoy it. People always say that Who fans rip the show apart the most but it doesn’t mean you can’t still love it.

It all comes down to the fact that sadly Doctor Who is not the best written drama on TV. Not even close. But then even the best written drama would not have the same magic about it as Doctor Who. It is really about loving the basic principle: The Doctor, the TARDIS, all of time and space. You have always had to take Doctor Who with a pinch of salt. There are always things that annoy me about the show and that I find pretty poor in terms of writing, character or just general storytelling. On the other hand if you take an episode in its entirety or even the whole show since it started in 63, it is unique, powerful and takes hold of the imagination. I think laying into it every now and again is good, and people debating about it is good but I would like to think that as a fan you would still continue to watch it because there will always be good, unique and inspiring moments. It’s Doctor Who! What could ever replace it!

I agree with everything Alex said in this post. I’ve been having the exact thoughts ever since Moffat took over.

Bethan

I definately agree with most of the points you made Alex, I enjoyed the episode but there were definatly some things that could have been better, I think you may have been a little harsh and should keep watching, as I have found with past series, some episodes are completely different to others.

Conleigh

It’s frustrating because I really didn’t like the christmas special, and now I really didn’t like the season opener of a short season. However, the current low doesn’t negate the previous amazing episodes. Overall I still love Doctor Who, I just hope Moffat doesn’t continue to be sloppy. It’s frustrating to see something I love so much consistently disappoint. I can only hope next week is better. P.s. We have seen the entire history of Amy and Rory’s relationship. They have much better communication than this episode implied. Also natural pregnancy is not the only way to enjoy the joys of parenthood. Their simplistic conflict in this episode seemed to have unreasonably harsh consequences in comparison to all the other relationship problems they have already gone through.

Koki

He kept saying, “the eggs! The milk! How did she get it?” and all I could think was “um… powdered eggs and milk?”

Matt

Why’s everyone hating on Alex here? You’re not getting anywhere by doing that. You’re supposed to say why you disagree with him, and try to convince him that it was a good episode. I disliked it though.

g

no we’re ‘supposed’ to call him out on his douchey behaviour and try and convince him to be less of a douche.

two-cut

Honestly, Alex, you make some pretty good points, but just because the premiere episode of the new season wasn’t that great, it’s not a good reason to completely give up on a show that you KNOW is and has been amazing. You of all people should know that it’s totally okay not to like an episode of Doctor Who. I hated the ‘Christmas Carol’ episode, but I still stuck it through season 6. Just keep watching, I’m sure Moffat will kick it up again.

Darcy

I loved C Carol! It had so many classic Doctor lines which happens to be the only thing this premiere episode was missing…

http://www.facebook.com/GhostyyK Kate Moreton

I quite liked the show, personally, though I do feel that Moffat didn’t do the concept much justice. I feel like he’s just trying to leave his mark on it so they don’t get new writers in. Eg. No-one got the Doctor married before! I’ll do that! (Then speak nothing more of the marriage or River) then, No-one got the Daleks to ask for help before (that I know of)! I’ll do that! That was just a poor choice, I think. I hope it’s not a sign of things to come. I’ll still be watching, but quietly judging. It makes me wary for Sherlock S3… At least Gatiss has a say there :S

Rebecca

In hindsight, I agree with most of the things you said in this article, but the way you wrote it just seemed so arrogant and condescending. I’m disappointed.

Renn

The Doctors companion NEEDS to be brave and smart and funny. He needs someone smart to keep up with him and help him, someone brave to be able to face everything, someone funny to keep him sane (and keep the audience interested). The companions have some similar traits, yes, but only because it’s necessary. Their actual PERSONALITIES are completely different- think how different Martha and Donna were, yet both of them were all the things described.
These people have to be the Doctors friend and he has to trust them. He’s not going to trust an idiot/ coward is he? It’s just the way things work.
Also, don’t you DARE say something is objectively bad just because YOU don’t like it. Totally not cool.

Bethany

I can see a lot of plot problems with the episode. I agree with you. Yeah, Moffat is a prick and writes a lot of ridiculous crap. Most Who fans don’t like his writing because he doesn’t think about emotions. I haven’t cried for Who since the infamous “Wall” scene with DoctorTen and Rose. That hurt. Amy and Rory was sad but it fixed itself too quickly. Glad to hear your opinion, hope Moffat leaves and we get good writing back soon

jon

LOL alex what are you smokin bro chill your nips

https://twitter.com/#!/timelordinabox The Almost Doctor

I don’t know if you read these comments at all Alex, but I have been watching your videos for about 3 years now, and I can’t help but agree with some of the comments below. I would never ‘give up’ on Doctor Who because you didn’t like one episode, but that’s your opinion and your choice. It’s just a shame to see you write songs in Chameleon Circuit which are fantastic to see that you don’t even like the show anymore. I agree with what you said in this article, but not as extreme as you put it. I think the episode was different, at least. And it introduced the new companion wonderfully, it was missing things, and did have a few little negatives but what you said, in my opinion, was just very harsh, And it makes me really sad to see you write this. It literally made my heart sink when I read your tweets, then I read this

jack

Haha, you take Doctor Who very seriously Alex. Maybe that’s because you’re such a big fan though. Seeing as you spent so long telling us what you think, I’ll tell you what I think.

I’m not really bothered about most of the points you mentioned above because for me, Doctor Who is about only one thing – scary space monsters! Doctor Who has such a vast history, with so many plot holes and continuity problems built up during that time, that I think it’s impossible for them to make the kind of complex, meaningful stories that they would like to make. I think the problem is that Doctor Who is set in a universe where literally (and I mean literally) anything can happen, so sometimes it feels as if the writers are just making things up as they go along. As a casual viewer, I often don’t understand exactly what is happening because every episode they make up new concepts and ideas that have nothing do do with anything that has happened before, and if you miss the explanation line you don’t know what is going on.

I think they should go back to making them like the old series. My dad had (and still has) a lot of them on VHS and I spent many a happy night being absolutely terrified by the ‘Keeper of Traken’ and watching the Doctor and Jo in ‘Frontier in Space’ being chased around a space complex that even I, as an 8 year old, could tell was a multi-storey car park! As far as I can remember, they never used to bother about telling deep, complex stories, and the companions were there solely to get captured so the Doctor could rescue them!

So I don’t watch the new series for Amy and Rory. I don’t care if they get divorced or not. For me, it’s all about the adventures, the monsters, and the tin foil costumes!

I just.. Danny put it perfectly. Thank you, though, Alex. For saying I’m basically stupid and all of that. Really. Appreciate it so much.
Fame has gone to your head, and made it big. You need to reevaluate that. You’re going to lose your fan base very quickly.

Flyte

Fame hasn’t gone to his head. He was like this before. Exactly like this.

Moyra

I entirely agree!! (With the writer of the article, Alex Day).

I have been a huge fan of Doctor Who ever since it was brought back to life on the BBC in 2005. But through out the last series I’ve been increasingly more disappointed with the episodes and story lines. When asked what I thought of the first episode of the sixth series, I feel a disgruntled expression is a better description of how I felt about it rather than any words…

My faith is ever decreasing in doctor who, which is a feeling I never wanted to feel. However I will continue to be excited for each coming episode… if only to be disappointed with the results.

Bella

well said, Danny. I would make a separate comment but he pretty much said everything I was thinking.

Tombo

Right or wrong, Alex, (and I am inclined to agree with parts of this), there’s no need to be a knob……

Underclass Underdog

You are all taking this way too personaly

Annie

I was going to leave a comment discussing the points made, but then I read the comments and I am just appalled. I am so disappointed in Alex and the fans right now. How is talking to people like he did ever in any circumstances ok? I can’t believe how many people are encouraging that kind of behaviour. Is it just because Alex the ‘celebrity’ said it? Are you just being sheep and wanting to look good in front of him? I am ashamed of you. Sorry Alex but being a good person comes before being a good fan, and they way you acted, regardless of how right or wrong your opinions were, is completely out of line. I really can’t think of you the same way any more because I never thought you’d stoop to such a level of rudeness, towards your own fans no less. I am so sad right now. And you probably don’t even care.

Dublin Man 2

I’ll tell you what was a waste of my time. Reading this article. I consider myself to be a massive Doctor Who fan and even I know it is currently being made by a fan and it shows! I really really enjoyed Asylum and all your 7 point mess of an article has proven is you are not a fan. What does the show owe you exactly? Why when something becomes successful there is always one person (note i said person and not the word i was thinking) online, safe behind his keyboard, happy to pull it down out of what??? Boredom? paid Assassination? An attempt to create controversy? I will not be reading your page again. And i am honestly thrilled this is the only article of yours I am come across.

Harry

I agree with almost all of what you’ve said. The difference is, I haven’t been a dick about it.

Franklin M

I agree with some of your points but others…you’re just nit picking. Give it up Alex. Just enjoy it for it being Doctor Who.

Chris

Personally, I enjoyed the episode, I really liked Oswin as a character and I look forward to not having to wait till River Song turns up for a decent companion episode. However, I agree with a lot of what Alex is saying about the similarities between her and River and Sally Sparrow (you can say that the Tardis in ‘The Doctor’s Wife’ and even the Moffatt-Gatiss Irene Adler was written similarly, so there is definitely a pattern
although the character’s was already there). I also agree that the plot details like the whole ‘Amy & Rory have marriage problems’ thing were not well done at all.

To be honest, all the other problems people have had with this article and the episode itself have already been mentioned. (Also, as a side note, saying that Alex’s videos haven’t been as good recently or even mentioning how he’s pulling on Moffat’s coat tails getting sales of his CC stuff is irrelevant to this article and immature really IMO, because I doubt most of you would mention it if he hadn’t posted this article.)

However the one problem that everyone seems to have missed is that they all seem to have forgotten how awful the ‘filler’ episodes of the last series (episodes 2 and 3, and from 9 until about 11) were, and how last nights looked like Citizen Kane in comparison (a problem the ‘Russell’ era never seemed to have, probably by creating better companions).

So I can see your argument Alex, but to give up now, when we’ve known for a while that a) Moffat repeats himself (as do you, but it’s understandable and also works) and b) Amy and Rory are rubbish companions seems illogical, it would make more sense at least wait until Oswin becomes a fully fledged companion and make a judgement then.

Thank you for your time, and hopefully that was more balanced than most of the comments down here and also some of your article, even though there were parts which everyone seemed to ignore were you did mention the positives (as you saw them) of the (in my opinion very good) episode.

jim

and the dick of the week award goes to…

Underclass Underdog

Matt Smiff

bob

Hold the phone folks, some dude on the net thinks he’s better then everyone else. Someone quick tell Moffat to give up his day job for the sake of this dickhead’s badly thought out and written opinion! In fact if this bloke says doctor who is bad then I guess we better stop making the show entirely!

James

The funniest part of this is where he says he’s happy for people to disagree with him, but only after making it clear that if you do it’s just because you’re less intelligent then he is. Seriously how did this guy become ‘famous’? (I use inverted commas because he’s not really famous at all, though he seems to think he is.)

http://www.facebook.com/RichieLeeSimon Richie Lee Simon

He got famous through us. Through us watching his videos, buying his songs and making money through Adsense. You know… the people he just insulted.

Jams

Sounds like a right stand up bloke.

Underclass Underdog

Sounds a bit like Moff then

valentina

who is this boy and why should i care?

RandomContradictions

I feel as
if you can’t give up after one episode the thing is a lot of times things seem
like the writers are being dumb or the plot is going somewhere dumb or no where
at all but often those are the best because when it goes somewhere wonderful
you can’t see it coming you aren’t EXPECTING it the thing about Doctor Who is
that you can’t figure out an episode in a minute, you can’t figure out a season
from an episode and any single season gives you the smallest little PEEK into
what the show is.

WARNING
SPOILERS AHEAD: I think a lot of this episode has to do with the way people’s
minds work. The woman in the red dress, whatever name you want to give her, she
IS somewhat complex, she’s so attached to being human that even though she is a
dalek she believes she’s human and wants to be human enough that she’s
rejecting the merciless dispositions that essentially ARE what daleks are.
Which brings forth the question my friends and I discussed; IS she, in her
state a dalek? And as to the making fun of the Doctor’s chin and Rory’s nose? I
feel as if she’s probably lost a lot of her social boundaries, she’s been
trapped in solitary for a year the only thing keeping her sane is her belief
that she’s still this super genius and is doing smart people things like baking
soufflé and listening to Mozart, It’s very likely that though her brain stayed
intact because that’s why the daleks wanted her and so they made sure to
preserve that however her social skills went away.

Second
Amy, she’s heartbroken and sad and angry and she does what people especially
women of her disposition do: She rants. Often times when ranting angry people
sad people outspoken people just plow through all the information, what it is
that made them this way and despite people telling them that they knew this
already s/he’ll keep plowing through letting it all out because afterwards
s/he’ll feel better. She’s letting off steam not actually notifying anyone,
it’s like when in other episodes or other shows when a character tells someone
who doesn’t necessarily NEED to know through tears despite the fact that
the audience knows already. Sometimes things need to be said allowed AFTER
someone’s ready to say them. See? Psychology.

Also it
wasn’t about the ponds having kids. Again. It was more Rory wants kids he can
raise demon’s run stopped Amy from having them, she wanted so badly for him to
have the kids though she can’t so she dumps him and he gets all angry about it
because he doesn’t know why and she explains it to him and it all comes out in
a rush of what she’s been holding in. it’s how people work. Also It’s not
memory loss in this one, the whole episode was about IDENTITY about clinging to
humanity whilst the daleks try to make you one of them, and questioning what
makes someone a dalek. Is it the metal, the weird squid inside, or the
merciless use of “EXTERMINATE!!!”?

Which
brings me to my next point the bit about Rory being dumb with the “eggs? You
want eggs?” there are four reasons I believe he did that: 1 He’s on an
asylum the daleks here aren’t right in the head they could be desperately
moaning about eggs which leads me to 2. Rory has seen very few daleks, and has
never seen them with their weird giant metal balls on the floor, how would he
know what they’re called, or whether they needed them or if they needed his
help which leads me to… 3 Rory is a ridiculously good person who would if
asked give a dalek back his “Eggs”. And 4 fear. You’ve woken up
surrounded by daleks and one starts to announce that s/he’s going to kill you
but can’t finish his announcement, though the second s/he does you’ll die, most
people’s brains will reject that and jump to something safe like
“eggs” especially if there are things that look sort of like eggs all
over the floor. And as for the childish, “yes” he knows Amy loves him
but he thought that she stopped and now he’s found out she hasn’t and he’s
unsure if they’re getting back together after so much bitterness and
resentment. Also you must remember originally Rory was sort of comic relief so
he needs to disperse some tension, even in trying situations, like Ron Weasley
in Harry Potter they’ve all almost died yet still at times despite times of
bitterness he brings out this infallible humor.

As to the
daleks, your point 5 I have no idea whatsoever but I have a feeling this being
Doctor Who it will resolve itself eventually

And
finally the ending. The Doctor’s name isn’t being called they’re not
remembering him his ego isn’t what’s making him smile. He went back to taunt
them only to realize they’d forgotten him. The daleks have forever been, I
believe, for the Doctor, the last of the people other than him who remember
this horrible thing he did. They’re constantly taunting him reminding him of
his guilt their hatred was mostly revenge. They said, “Doctor who?”
Little w. They were ASKING who he was wondering who the man who just beamed
himself onto their spaceship was. That little question. The one that must never
be answered adds a whole new dynamic to the show. The Doctor is now the only
one who feels the guilt who knows who to blame for the end of the Timewar. It’s
not ego it’s freedom, which I believe will come and bite him in the butt.

So maybe I
couldn’t explain it all away and maybe to you my answers weren’t satisfactory.
But keep in mind what I can’t explain away are things that will resolve
themselves, because this is doctor who, it’s not about what you see at first
it’s what you go back to look for it’s the Sixth Sense that is constantly
changing the twist ending it’s about the big picture and the little details
that make it so. It’s about the writers and the actors and the monsters and the
heroes and the places and the times but most of all it’s about the worldwide
audience that watches through it all the, amazing the terrible, the confusing
and the obvious. It’s about the Whovians

Molly

In comparison to many of the previous comments left about this post from Alex, I completly agree with his views. I think that the writing has become far too stereotypically soap opera based for my liking and its standard has dropped considerably over the past series/ episodes. I too will only be watching this when there is something worth watching on it.

Olivia

Although I believe this was a very well thought out and insightful article into your new opinion of Doctor Who, Alex, forgive me for not taking it into consideration at all when I was forming my opinion of the episode.

It is, as I have already said, your opinion, and you are just one person. There are people in these comments defending your side and those attempting to destroy your arguments. They are just people too. As am I. We are all entitled to our own opinion, but I do not believe for one second that, just because I liked the episode, I have lower standards for TV shows than you. You do not know what TV shows every single one of the people who have read this article watch, and we don’t know all of the shows that you watch, and if we did know, we might very well scoff at what you believe to be good television.

I am sure that none of these comments will change your opinion of this show, so you will understand why I am not allowing your article to change mine.

Richard Strong

I have no idea who this guy is but he seems to keep on making the mistake of thinking that his subjective opinion is objective fact. It isn’t.

Underclass Underdog

And yet here you are, replying. Must have gotten to you more than you thought

tish

the feels are telling me you’re a sanctimonious twat alex

Ethan

Mr. Day, 1) You need to go on a vacation to the US NOW. I’ve been a follower of your youtube channel for a while now and I notice that every time you come back from a stay in the US, you are renewed, happy and excited about everything the world has to offer. England is making you a cranky, cynical, old man. Not a good thing if you are in your twenties.

2) That said, I have to agree with you on many points on this episode. Though you are over looking the biggest WTF plot hole in this episode. The Daleks hate the Doctor. They’ve been trying to kill him for ages now. And, yet, instead of tricking the Doctor by letting him go down on the planet and just leaving him there. They give him an escape route back. And Moffat’s explanation for this is that deep down the Daleks can’t bring themselves to kill the Doctor because they find his hatred for them “beautiful.” …Uh-huh. No, sir, I am not going to buy it.

I would keep watching the show though. Well, at least I am if only to watch Matt Smith act. (He is a delight to watch. Not that many young actors can pull off “the old while looking young” bit without it trampling into cartoon territory.) Moffat isn’t the best storyteller and, well, his sci-fi skills leave much to desired. And I’ve always thought what has saved him time and time again is the fact that he has always been able to cash in gold when it comes to casting. (I feel that way about Sherlock as well. But that’s a different kettle of fish.) It would be a shame for you to give on a show that you loved so much that you built a band around because of one bad episode. So, again, keep watching. It’s the first episode and there’s much to explore.

Hannah

I disagree that the lost memory motif is ‘boring’. I find the idea that so much of our world is based on something so potentially fragile and easily manipulated as memory intensely interesting.

I reckon my favourite episode will always be ‘Blink’ – A Moffatt episode. Another one of his MOs is messing around with the order of time.

Surely memory and time are linked, and being that it is, in part, a show about time travel, surely it is to be expected that the motif of memory or memory loss will be recurrent?

Rachel

Alex, I really hope you read these comments, and take them to heart. Not just glance over them and feel like we’ve proven that we’re less intelligent then you or something.

I’m not going to unsubscribe, or call you a dick, or claim that your recent videos have been leading up to this moment. I will say that I felt that this article was poorly worded, and you did come off as arrogant and rude. Maybe you were just emotional after seeing an episode that you truly hated, but that doesn’t mean that your opinion is the only intelligent viewpoint.

If you read these comments and do regret some of the things you’ve said, I hope you have the courage to apologize. Maybe everyone who reads this will think I’m an idiot for suggesting it, and on the off chance you read this, maybe you’ll scoff at this as well… but please realize I am NOT asking you to apologize for disliking the episode. I’m asking you to realize that some of the things you said were downright insulting to your fans.

What I took from that was basically you calling people stupid for having a different opinion than yours. If you want to be THAT kind of person, fine, you’ll still probably keep most of your subscribers. I’LL probably stay a subscriber. In a few months, most people will probably forgotten this and moved on. I just wanted to share my opinion. People feel free to disagree with me, and feel free to disagree with him. You are not an idiot in either case.

Mary

This is very maturely put

Stone

I agree. A LOT.

Molly

I think this was a very well-written article, and when I thought about it, I thought many of your points were completely accurate. But I hadn’t thought about it that way at first, because I hadn’t watched the other seasons with the eleventh doctor. Or the tenth. In fact, I’ve only seen the episodes with the ninth doctor, for various reasons.

I watched the season premiere last night so that I could at least try to watch this season from the beginning, and I think I’m not alone in that. And consequently, I wonder if Moffat was kind of writing, at least a little, for us.

To me, it made sense that not having children would be such a huge issue for Rory and Amy. To me, a full conversion of Oswin into a Dalek wasn’t illogical, it just seemed really intense and fascinating yet frightening. To me, Amy’s potential memory loss was suspenseful and scary and kind of nerve-racking when she and Rory started arguing. And finally, when the Doctor was just spinning around in the Tardis all happy and excited, it just made me smile and laugh, because it was like, after all these years and regenerations (because I do at least know the history of the show), it was like he was finally Doctor Who again.

Not the Doctor. Not the Dalek’s predator again. He was Doctor Who! And it just really brought the episode home for me personally.

So I don’t feel like I have bad taste, or lower standards in quality. I just have a different view on it.

Amy

Doctor Who has had weaker episodes, alongside most television series. Unlike Glee, this is the start of the series, and you have not allowed it to develop at all, especially Oswin’s character.

Firstly, you’re assuming that Oswin is going to have the same flirty relationship that Pond and River have already mastered with the Doctor. It upsets me that you cannot consider a female character in a different way, and have written her off with the first episode. Personally, I already found her far more interesting than Pond and River, and may take the Doctor back to his far more fun days of ‘saving the universe’ with a quirky and interested sidekick, rather than exploring his romantic life with River or trying to deal with a weirdly matched, but loveable couple.

Also, it was entertaining for all ages. It’s a rare occasion to have a fiction show like this which can actually be suitable for everyone, and you’re asking for a maturity level that would alienate quite a large majority of the younger audience. I agree on the points of continuity, especially the thrown in Amy/Rory child moments, but it didn’t make for horrible watching. It was rather enjoyable, and creates a character arc for Moffat to explore.

Yes, it wasn’t the strongest episode of Doctor Who. It was indulgent in places and played on the characters’ personality traits a bit too heavily but it is by nowhere near the worst and no reason at all to write it off completely.

Underclass Underdog

As of the Snowmen, she’s died twice already and she isnt even on board the tardis yet!

Charlotte

I absolutely agree with what Alex has said. I would also like to add the fact that the daleks forgot the doctor which I thought was totally unnecessary, the doctor and the daleks have been enemies since the beginning of the show and they’ve appeared in, as far as I’m aware, every series. How can you just take away a character that every generation of doctor who fans knows and loves. I don’t know if they’ll be bringing them back they must have some sort of a plan but I’m shocked that Moffat is just forgetting the history and past of doctor who and creating half decent and mostly unbelievable villians, why can’t we see some of the old villians and characters come back for once? I also agree with the comment Alex made about the companion, all of a sudden the companions seem to fall in love with the doctor and there’s this big storyline about her having to leave because she loves him or whatever which takes over the reason why we all watch it to watch him going into space and time. I also feel Rory is and always has been a very pointless character. He’s good for nothing and usually causes a bunch of problems that he doctor has to sort out. He’s simply not needed. I think Moffat needs a real change when it comes to the storyline and doesnt forget the history of doctor who! I’ve watched ever series and I’ve grown up with it but I feel I may turn it off unless they do something quick to turn it around.

Dr_Syn

Daleks have not been in every series – not even in the rebooted show. You need to do some rewatching.

pete

going to assume you hadn’t had your nap when you wrote this which is why it screams of a petulant child winging over nothing

Underclass Underdog

You mean like Matt Smiffs attempts at acting angry?

http://twitter.com/LanaWrigley Lana Wrigley

I must admit, I didn’t think a lot of this episode. One thing that, looking back, wasn’t explained and probably should have been was how the Doctor, Amy and Rory were all hearing Oswin’s HUMAN voice. Which, as a ‘fully-converted’ Dalek, she wouldn’t have, and DIDN’T have, when the Doctor discovered her at the end of the episode. Of course, I may just have missed the part of the episode where this was explained, and if I have, I’m sorry, but I think Alex makes a lot of valid points in this review. I’ll stick with the show however, simply because I am clinging onto the hope that it will get better eventually.

Louise

I’m sorry but most of the points you’ve put forward are either ridiculous, nitpicky or personal preference. Personally the bit that annoys me the most is how you criticise the amy/rory not being able to have kids scene simply because you lack the emotional integrity to understand it. And calling people who don’t agree stupid? Wow, who do you think you are, exactly?

I’d like to remind everyone that a. Alex is allowed to express his opinion, the same way you are allowed to write a post about yours! (I mean, Alex’s is clearly more supported with facts and most of these comments are just giant-squid-of-anger spewings, but whatever.) If you don’t want to read about the glaring plots holes and bad writing in the season premiere, don’t read it! Problem solved, let’s all go home and have hot chocolate now.

Adina

Regarding your second thought, the way I interpreted the outright stating that Amy can’t have kids is that Rory did not know about it before this point. Presumably, she kicked him out for some made up reason so she could let him go without him knowing why. If he did know, he would never have left her and would have simply accepted never having kids, like he actually does in the episode. Amy did not want that for him, so she let him go, as you saw. My point is that it’s possible that Amy explaining her infertility was the first time Rory heard about it, which just happened to be the same time as the audience. But I suppose it could be interpreted your way as well, so who knows? Just an optimistic thought in Moffat’s favor.

Underclass Underdog

Except rory said “i know” when she pointed it out, indicating he knew, lol

ToastedWish

I love and respect you Alex, but I have to disagree with you. I loved the new episode ^.^

Becky

First of all I would like to address anyone in the comments who are ragging on Alex’s videos and music and on him personally. This is not about him. This is about “Doctor Who”. I have not yet seen this episode but have heard polar opposite opinions by polar opposite people so it is fair to say that I would like this new special probably in between Alex’s opinion and the Fan-boy Fluff opinion.

Black Tax

What an awful, awful article. You’ve made a career partly from being a Doctor Who fan, amongst other things of course, and sharing that love with other people who in turn subscribed and followed your work. To grow out of Doctor Who is fine, but this article is atrocious. Firstly, look up the term ‘objectively’ because this article doesn’t have an ounce of objectivity aside from the fact that you like using the word every 2 minutes as if your word is gospel. Secondly, your attitude towards the people you KNOW enjoy Doctor Who, that they’re wrong and they have lower standards and taste, is utterly disgusting. You come across as a complete dick.

Your problem with Who seems to be that at some point you took the show seriously. It’s a silly show full of silly people doing nonsensical things and that is why it is great. How you can suffer through some of the utterly bottom of the barrel dreck that the RTD era produced but complain because Moffat continues to use spunky girls (yeah… a totally new concept to Doctor Who completely manufactured by Moffat *rolls eyes*), a girl you forgot to mention is a frickin’ Dalek and hopefully will still be part Dalek when she returns.

How you can be happy to sit through junk like the Jesus Doctor and… almost every other episode written by RTD, but you’ll happily quit during the infinitely better Moffat era because of things like “lack of logic” and “repetition”, two things that have always been central to Doctor Who, for better or worse (the episode is about Daleks after all, they’re only a 40-50 year old idea), I’ll never know.

Also, you can’t talk about higher standards of TV when you spent your time trying to cobble together an explanation for the end of Lost. Try watching The Wire, The Shield, Breaking Bad and Six Feet Under if you want truly spectacular TV. Doctor Who is great for entirely different reasons, and this kind of scathing attack at its logic is wholly inappropriate. You’re talking about a show that answers a question with “Wibbly wobbly timey wimey”. Perhaps you feel like you’ve grown up and grown out of TV like this, but this article actually depicts a severe lack of maturity and instead an over inflated and misplaced sense of arrogance.

brittaperry

Criticisms of this article aside, what you’ve essentially done at the end of your comment is the very same thing Alex is guilty of in this article. So, apparently, liking Lost makes people stupid? Only people who like the TV shows you deem ‘quality’ can be considered smart?

Black Tax

No, I enjoyed Lost. I don’t call people stupid for enjoying Lost with its flaws and all. I have a problem with people who literally outright state that they have higher standards because they dislike something and I was just pointing out that I found it hilarious that his high standard is a show that is equally as flawed.

brittaperry

Oh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up!
Except he’s never outright stated that Lost is his high standard, so maybe that’s not quite fair. But yes, this article is rather condescending, to say the least.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

This is the thing that really surprises me. The RTD era had some really awful episodes, and I mean really awful. Episodes that suffered from problems a million times worse than the ones Alex listed (including many of the ones Alex listed)… yet it’s Asylum of the Daleks that puts him off Doctor Who indefinitely… I mean really?

http://twitter.com/squeakyfingers Allie

This article aside, I am glad someone mentioned Jesus Doctor. I personally thought this episode was better than the greater portion of season three (I admit, I have a problem with Martha), but like everyone else in Who-dom I take the good with the bad, and the silly with the serious.

I am overall unfamiliar with a lot of Alex’s work – i know his name through other youtubers and enjoy some of his songs but notmuch else. I don’t have any issues with his videos etc since I don’t watch them. But had I come across without knowing anything about him, I wouldn’t have finished it. It felt demeaning and inappropriate.A good writer is able to express opinions and dissatisfaction without outright saying that those who disagree have lower standards. That, as black cat said, is immature and arrogant. You don’t see me going around calling Glee fans idiots, even though I happen to not like their show. Articles like this, and those who write them will never be taken seriously.

Dalek

It never fails to amaze me how small minded idiots blog garbage like this review. The episode was brilliant. Thank God you aren’t a real writer and will always be limited to your sad little blog.

Underclass Underdog

Clearly your standards are lacking if you think anything about Moff’s who is good

http://www.facebook.com/dawn.schoonover.1 Dawn Schoonover

Who knows if you’re actually reading this Alex, or if it’s just fans who are also disappointed in your article. Some people have pointed out that you were paid to write this article on your opinion, but is what an editorial is, and so many people do this every day without coming off as cynical and intolerant as you. To say that someone has a different opinion than you makes them stupid or that they have lower standards is completely against who you are. Alex, you used to stand up for people who were different, you might have disagreed with people but you still valued them as human beings, and now it seems as though you don’t anymore. Some of your arguments have merit, I didn’t like this episode either, I feel like it fell short on multiple occasions and jumped to events and conclusions that were frankly out of character. As a diehard fan of Amy and Rory I found it improbable that after everything they’d been through, that even when stuck in multiple universes their love survived, that one problem would drive them apart. But seriously, because of this one bad episode you’re refusing to watch it anymore? I love Chameleon Circuit, are you leaving the band now? If you don’t I think it would be even more hypocritical, so stay in a band made of fan boys when you claim to hate the show now. I remember back quite a few years you even defended Doctor Who, especially the bad episodes, saying that episodes like the Wasp and the Unicorn didn’t represent the series as a whole. Where has that reasoning gone? I’m going to unsubscribe, I still think you’re a good artist and really funny, but I don’t know how much longer I can stay loyal to someone who so openly devalues other people, especially people who are fans of his.

Jaida

I don’t understand why when you list out reasons as to why you don’t like a person in everyday life, you’re called a bitch, or a bully, or whatever name. Which makes sense, you’re TRYING to hurt this person in some way. But when the person is a bit more well known, it’s fine to speak ill of them? I just don’t understand how people can do it. Is it because the internet gives you false strength? If you met Alex, or whatever somewhat famous person, would you tell them how fake they are, or how much you don’t like them? Personally, I’m a fan of Alex, and I don’t care if you aren’t, but if you find that the only reason your stating your opinion is to hurt/piss someone off, maybe you shouldn’t share them.
Maybe it’s just me..?

TheHeron

I’m just going to say that I liked that you brought it up. It wasn’t as good as it could have been. I hope as much for your sake as for mine that Doctor Who will get better again.
Sincerely a pretty angry Doctor Who fan.

Sanna

Does this mean that you’re giving up on Chameleon Cirquit as well?

Tomorrowgirl

Will you all just shut up and stop attacking him?! He makes a perfectly valid point, and contrary to popular belief, he is *allowed* to hate on the episode. Why are you all jumping on the same bandwagon and attacking his character and videos? Is he not allowed to have an opinon? Or is he only allowed to have one when he agrees with you?

Personally, I agree with most of what Alex has said here- most, not all. I do not like the route Moffat is taking Doctor Who and, after this first episode, my high expectations for this show have completely ended. If it continues going down this path, we will see the end of Doctor Who very soon.

g

it has ntohing to do with him hating the episode, actually read the damn comments you idiot,

The Waves

He is allowed to hate the episode. It’s his attitude that people have a problem with. He isn’t trying to put across his opinion, he’s trying to put across his opinion as fact. Hence the use of the word ‘Objectively’ no less than 4 times. Worse still, his “If you disagree with me it’s because I have higher standards and you have worse taste” rant is truly pitiful.

Also, we won’t see the end of Doctor Who very soon. Thanks to the Moffat era the show has boomed in popularity worldwide because people like to see a show with solid direction, writing and presentation. From what I can see, the reaction to this episode has been for the most part positive. Perhaps next week they’ll turn the Doctor into Golum again and re-introduce Peter Kay so you can reminisce about the good old days.

Sophie

Exactly. Doctor Who is more popular now than it’s ever been. I’m glad someone has mentioned this.

Underclass Underdog

Just because something is popular does not indicate it is of a high standing quality or merit. Take That and the Spice Girls were popular, and anybody with a decent taste in music thought they were shit.

Underclass Underdog

He’s just telling it like it is, clearly you can’t handle the truth.

Underclass Underdog

As opposed to crying baby’s defeating the cybermen and James Corden?

http://profile.yahoo.com/WNOKBWCDE32PHF5IXEFKRKFL3A Alana

I disagree with the cause of the increased popularity. In 2005 it was hard to find DW in America. Now we have access but no one is asking us if we like RTD or Moffat better. Instead we Netflixed the entire show and are now trying out the new episodes. When you have expanded your potential fan base by 300 million people I would hope your ratings would be higher. Actually they appear to be staying worryingly flat.

Bethany

It’s okay to not like things, it’s okay, but don’t be a dick about it, Mr. Day.

Caroline

I actually agree with most of this. I was on tumblr after the episode aired, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed the episode a lot more than I did. The points that Alex made above are really true. Moffat writes for the fans and whatever gets them excited. I even felt that the Amy and Rory breakup was a product of that. And then they were back together by the end of the episode. They just signed divorce papers. I doubt getting back together would ever go that smoothly after that.

But I liked Moffat a lot last year. The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon were fantastic series premieres. Asylum of the Daleks seemed to lack the wow factor. All of these plot twists are getting to be mundane and overhyped. It’s too much. I’ll probably still watch it, but it’s definitely getting old.

Underclass Underdog

I’m a fan, everything he writes as disappointed me

Katrina

Why are there so many people called Katrina giving divisive opinions?

Jake

So you have something different to read, I agree… Also, the Daleks were kinda rubbish, I mean, they were meant to be the most terrifying of all the Daleks, but we’re EXACTLY THE SAME only rusty!

Also, everyone else, would you stop hating on Alex as if it’s a valid argument? If you don’t like him and think he’s just “repeating himself” then why are you reading an article he’s written? And then don’t write a paragraph of vicious bile and write “why am I telling you this? I didn’t” straight after you obviously just did.

Louise

I’ll keep this brief. Personally, I thought this was quite a forgettable episode of Doctor Who, but I didn’t think it was ‘objectively bad television’. I really liked parts of it- especially that Oswin turned out to be a Dalek.

But I have to say I don’t like how sure you are that you are completely correct about this. Of course I know that everyone will have different opinions about it, but it feels like you looking down at people who liked the video, saying that they simply have lower standards than you.

I can’t imagine ever unsubscribing or ever really not liking you as a person, but I did find this belittling and a bit hurtful.

Peterson

You are the ONLY person here that I completely agree with. Thank you for being so calm and rational about this

http://twitter.com/withtheirflaws Alison Mander

Gargh! This article is stressful, but what is more stressful is people’s comments on it. Alex had put out his opinion, which I happen to partially disagree with – it wasn’t a great episode by any means, but not at all as bad as some of the other one’s they’ve put out over the years.

Alex, is however entitled to express his opinion if he so chooses without so many people being rude to him. I expect many of you know him due to his success on youtube. Youtube is meant to be a community. You’re not acting like a community by any means. Choosing to take it at a personal level and spend you time insulting him. What you may fail to remember is that Alex is infact a person. A real person with feelings like you and me. How do you think it feels for him to read these comments? Not great I shouldn’t think.

So if you don’t like what his written then okay, tell people and discuss it in a civilised manor. But don’t single him out. If you don’t like his content on youtube anymore, then okay, unsubscribe, but you don’t need to tell everyone that you’re doing so. It’s attention seeking and hurtful.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=631324055 Krissie Pearse

Touchy feely Daleks full of hatred!? They have a concept of beauty!? What? Creatures devoid of all emotion but hatred have a sense of beauty?

To be fair though, I knew this was going to be horrible from the moment I saw Moffat say that this’d make the Daleks scary again because they “are defined by their crazy…. and these are the Daleks that even the Daleks think are crazy” … Oh FFS!

The Daleks are scary because they are a hateful and unstoppable warmongering unstoppable foe the equal of the doctor. Their destruction caused him to destroy his own all powerful people in the midst of total war so that the universe and time itself might be saved. … And now he can destroy entire Dalek Empires each time he meets them in his museum piece Old Type 40!? Seriously!?

Moffat, the Daleks are not scary any more because you have no idea about what makes them scary. Just as Doctor Who is not especially interesting any more because you have no idea how to hold interest in the show.

James

This is the first ‘bad’ review of this episode I’ve seen. So does that mean most people have a bad taste and lower standards than you? I’m fine with you not liking the episode but to say it’s ‘objectively bad television’ and mention that everyone who liked it has lower standards is an incredibly arrogant thing to say. Remember Alex, Doctor Who has been a big part in your success so I find the fact that you’re ‘giving up’ on the show to be a bit odd to say the least.

Sylvia

I actually really liked Oswin. I thought she was sweet. But I can see your point. she is a lot like Amy and River and a fair few other characters that have been in the show before. I loved the idea of a human trapped inside a dalek, without realising she was one, although yeah, that did lack consistency. I loved the idea of a dalek asylum, because sometimes they go wrong.

The very end bugged me, because it was too showy and it grated on me to have him yelling the title like that, but then, I imagine little kids would probably quite enjoy that, and it is supposed to be for all ages.

I found Rory and Amy’s relationship problems interesting, but I would have liked to see more of that, to not have it be resolved so easily. But other than some dodgy exposition, it was done okay.

Lots of little things bugged me throughout this episode, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep watching. More than anything else, Doctor Who is just fun.

Ellen

I love Doctor Who, I have for years, I have loved the writing, and how the characters are portrayed. But since Moffat has started writing, the show has gone down hill. The end part with the Doctor and the Daleks calling ‘Doctor Who’ may have been humorous, but not accurate. The Doctor isn’t stupid enough to re-introduce himself to one of his greatest foes after they forget him, also it isn’t in the Doctors characteristics, from what we’ve seen at least, to dance around the TARDIS seeming full of himself.
I enjoyed the episode, just as usually do, but I enjoyed it more before Moffat started writing.
And that’s just my opinion. Just as this article is Alex’s opinion, which is why I don’t think everyone needs to bring his YouTube channel, or his Music career into it, as he is expressing his opinion on Doctor Who, not on what everyone thinks of him as a person.

Nick

I totally agree with your points, and agree that this really was bad tv. however i think that most of the points you raised about bad writing, things not making sense etc. can be raised for most of the episodes Moffat wrote and maybe its because your points were more clear for this episode then the others that you have not noticed this before . I personally feel that Russel T Davis wrote much darker episodes at times, but also wrote light hearted episodes but in a way that wasn’t so confusing and even babyish at times.

Having said both that Russel T Davis and and Moffat both have their own styles of writing and they are both entertaining in different ways, its all a matter of which one people prefer. and some people obviously enjoy both.

Jesus Doctor

Yeah, Moffat’s style is to create a show that can stand up with the best of what comes out of America and has worldwide appeal, Davies style is poorly designed and written hot garbage that relies on heavily on deus ex machina and the biggest leaps of logic seen on TV in quite some time. But yeah, each to their own.

Underclass Underdog

Moff sold out the show to the states, RTD didn’t

http://profile.yahoo.com/WNOKBWCDE32PHF5IXEFKRKFL3A Alana

Hey, don’t blame us!! Moffat either has a weird opinion of what we like in the states or everyone is just using us for a convenient excuse. I thought Moffat was just what the British preferred. 75% of the DW fans I know prefer RTD over Moffat including 40year fans of the original.

Objectivity

Alex Day’s songs are objectively bad music. And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. Because it IS bad music.

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

But I do think my music is objectively good or I wouldn’t be making it. (Let’s not get into a debate, suffice to say that yes I think there is a degree of objectively good and bad taste when it comes to the arts and clearly few other people agree with me on that point.)

http://www.facebook.com/thedoctorissocoollike Katrina Bennett

And all the people involved with the creation of Doctor Who do think that it is objectively good or they wouldn’t be making it. You cannot call things objectively good or bad when everything is based on opinion. The sentence “I think my music i objectively good” is an oxymoron in itself because it’s not about what you (or anyone else) think(s), that’s the whole definition of ‘objectively’.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that from your point of view you shouldn’t be telling other people if something is objectively good/bad.

Underclass Underdog

I agree but this article is spot on

Fionn

I agree, it was bad writing. Very sloppy, and didn’t seem as well thought out as usual or as I expected. When you think about ‘When a Good Man goes to War’ it just seems terrible by comparison. Instead of sitting being wowed by the brilliant, intricate web expanding in front of me, I was sitting there thinking “Fuck me, I could wdo a better job of writing this.” The worst thing was probably that they brought the Daleks back so soon and put their name in the title so you knew that they’d be in it. The Daleks have been defeated and brought to near extinction about 5000 times now; there is nothing scary about them. It was obvious what was gonna happen, the Daleks come in and say “Exterminate!” a few times, the Doctor goes “Nah, bruv.” and makes them all go boom. I think they should have waited a few series before bringing the Daleks back, and then in series 11 or 12 or something have strange things happening and then the Daleks come in at the end of the series and there’s one big, possibly last, epic battle. Also, HOW THE FUCKETY FUCK DID THEY GET SKARO BACK!? That wasn’t explained at the start of the episode, the Doctor just said they were on Skaro. Skaro was lost the same way Gallifrey was after the Time War. You can’t just slip in that piece of information at the start. I’m gonna watch ‘Asylum of the Daleks’ again, just to see. But honestly, it could of and it should of been much better. Doctor Who should be the mid-section of a Venn Diagram between Aaron Sorkin and Douglas Adams, this was between Eastenders and Stephanie Fucking Meyer.

Kathy

wow, a lot of negative comments :S Alex, i feel that what you brought up is right… me and my friends were talking about Moffat at school, and we thought he’d gone power crazy and totally off course as to what Dotor who is about – saving the world- the one thing i don’t understand about that episode is – why does the daleks need saving? there’s a planet of ‘gone wrong’ daleks and it’s protected by a force field… no ‘gone wrong’ daleks have escaped, so what is there to be saved from? also, when the daleks forgot the doctor… how can you do that!!! they’ve known him for ever!!! you can’t just make ALL daleks forget their mortal enemy!!!
however, i will be open minded about the next episode and hope it’s better and a lot less confusing..
also to the people who keep moaning at Alex for his youtube videos and boasting that they’ve ‘unsubscribed to him’… really?? i think there’s a time and a place for that, and it’s not here! this is about Doctor Who, not youtube! i agree you have the right to your own opinions and freely expressing them, but when you bring other things into it aswell, i feel like i’ve gone back to primary…
but that’s my opinion…

http://twitter.com/palinode palinode

I have low standards.

TomK

Terrible article. Sorry Alex, but I wouldn’t quit your day job.

http://twitter.com/dailydoseofJMM JohnMichaelMichaels

Go back to watching Glee and Twilight, making shitty content, and being a scene whore.

g

This.

Ali

I kinda have to agree with Alex on this, it just felt too easy.

http://www.facebook.com/kelley.n.hebert Kelley Norikins Hebert

I dissagree and agree with your points, the top one being Amy and Rory’s dialog about not being able to have kids. I thought I was fine, of course she’s saying it out loud, he didn’t know why they had broken up really, because he seemed shocked at the fact she had left to give him the chance at a new family. I’m dissapointed that they made up so easily, but don’t fault them talking about it, explaining what went wrong. He may have known she couldn’t have anymore kids but she may never have mentioned that it was Demon’s Run (although it would have been obvious.) I just, couldn’t hate it, refuse to hate it. I hated the episode Rose, but I carried on and fell in love. I’m giving it another chance, because its always been worth it.

Jack James Deighton

Just want to point out to some of you hypocritical people that turning on Alex because of one review is the exact same as him turning on doctor who! Sure this interview may be a little harsh but it is his opinion and frankly i agree with most of it! So boo you people that suddenly turned on him also if you read it properly you would have noticed that it says he will start watching it again when Moffatt has left which is a fair thing to say as he doesn’t like where Moffatt’s writing has gone too!

Oh by the way Alex isn’t cashing out on everything! He gives us free content generally at least twice a week and yes he earns money for that but he also puts effort into it and time so he does still need to earn more money so he can work harder on his videos!

http://twitter.com/Sillyeb Emily

I agree and disagree, you’re aloud to like and not like what you want, but in this Alex seems to direct it to those who enjoy it. And he could just go along not enjoying things by himself.

Diablo

Wow. Just wow. I love Alex Day. He is a huge part of my life. I liked the episode, yes, but I definitely agree with a lot that he said in the article. And I definitely won’t deny that I have probably have lower standards for quality television then he does… He didn’t call anyone stupid for liking the episode…he just didn’t care for it. He stated his opinion and that is perfectly respectable. Why is everyone lashing out at him because he doesn’t want to watch the show anymore? Doctor Who WAS a big part of his life, which is probably why it was so disappointing to him when he didn’t like Asylum of the Daleks. I was a bit disappointed, too. But, there have been some bad episodes, and then there’ve been some amazing episodes.I’m willing to give this season a chance. Alex doesn’t have to love Doctor Who as much as everyone who watches or used to watch him. You guys don’t have to be so terrible to him just because HE DIDN’T LIKE AN EPISODE OF A TV SHOW. He knows the potential of the show, for it has been super amazing before, but Asylum of the Daleks just wasn’t the best. Alex Day has the right to state his opinion. I just can’t believe all of these comments, so hateful and hideous. Alex doesn’t just talk about his music. He’s a hilarious person and, well, he’s super adorable. I support him and his music, because I LIKE his music. I don’t just buy the songs because he’s told me to. I buy them because they’re catchy and I definitely want to listen to them over and over again. Please, why are you trying to be the least of humanity, bullying someone just ‘cuz they weren’t too thrilled with an episode of their favorite TV show. That is no reason to send him hate mail, or unsubscribe from his YouTube. Him not liking Doctor Who doesn’t make him any less of a swell person. I really hope that some of you can realize that.

http://twitter.com/Serena_kelly Serena Kelly

you people are all drama llamas

http://twitter.com/lostplanets Lost Planets

I totally agree with you, Alex. Another thing is that since Moffatt is show runner I don’t really feel anything when I watch the show. When I rewatch series 1-4 I always end up crying over something or get really emotional. Of course the new episodes are a lot more visually stunning which is why I’ll keep watching.

Underclass Underdog

indeed

Rienje

It’s a KIDS SHOW for god’s sake. You’re a grown man. Stop picking on tv-shows like some stupid teenaged fangirl. Get some perspectives. If I were you, I’d work more on your freaking MUSIC (if I can still call it that) because THAT’S what’s needing some change. Now go back to your flatscreen tv in your big house that you both bought of the back of your Youtube channel (including Chameleon Circuit, remember that? oh yeah), which is losing popularity quickly, if you keep being such a whining teenager.

Underclass Underdog

If it’s a kid’s show, why are you here defending it?

Rienje

I am not. If you would read my comment again, you’d see that I didn’t say whether I liked the episode or not. I’m just saying that Alex should stop being an attention seeking, whiny bitch.

Well perhaps if Moff stopped bitching such a whiney bitch about constructive criticism….. Alex didn’t close down his twitter account and run away like a pussy because somebody disagreed with him, whereas the genius Moff….Well, you know the rest.

lokihorsebutt

Dear Alex,

Apparently you have lots of 12 year old female fans who like to
fangirl over you, and apparently this makes you ‘special’. And hey, I
hear you make videos on youtube like millions of other people, so well
done you. A little dalek even told me you make music about Doctor Who,
and that even though you’re not really famous you’re kind of well known.
Good for you buddy.

I am at a loss however to understand how any of this makes you an
expert on ‘good taste’ or ‘good tv’, or writing or anything really. From
what I can see your videos are you just being sarcastic about X and Y
and that’s about it. Fair enough. But you’re not really a writer, and
you don’t have the best taste either, so I simply don’t understand. You
are certainly not an expert on Doctor Who.

(I’d also be interested to know how many series of Doctor Who you’ve
seen before Davies’ run, but I think I can guess the answer anyway, so
never mind.)

You must have known when you wrote your fascinating article that
people would disagree with you? (Or maybe you assumed that your ‘fame’
would make you immune to criticism, who knows?) So I’m trying to
understand why you thought it was a good idea to insult the intelligence
of the viewing public?Is this how you measure everyone’s
abilities/tastes/intelligence? On whether or not you think it’s worth
anything? How truly bizarre.

And what about your fans who disagreed with your article? How do you
see them? Are they as worthless to you as their taste in tv? Or do you
just pick and choose? Pray tell. And what about the millions of people
over the world who enjoyed Asylum of the Daleks? Are you honestly trying
to imply that you know better then them? That your opinions are more
valid then there’s? Really? You are more apt at deciding what is good
and bad on tv then the millions of viewers, the producers who commission
shows, the writers who have won awards, the real qualified journalists
who give positive reviews?

You’ll have to clarify these things in future, because you sir, make
no sense. I have no idea if it’s arrogance or stupidity, whether you
were always like this or if you feel that because you have a modest
following you are entitled to be a jerk, I don’t know. I’ll leave it to
you to clean up the mess you’ve made, but I do make a simple request.

If it’s not too much trouble, it would be really cool and non-dickish of you to NOT speak on behalf of millions of people. Ok?

Regards,

People who don’t think the sun shines out of your ass (aka people who
actually had the guts to disagree with you because we don’t care how
famous you are because being famous doesn’t make you a good person).

Jewel

I don’t mind you not watching the show anymore or having a different opinion about it, what bothers me is that you just felt the need to abuse it and bash all of it’s supporters. Thanks for letting me now how bad my taste is.

ben

i love how all the fangirls have come out in droves to defend his honor and say he’s allowed to dislike the episode but completely overlook the fact that he insulted a ton of people and whether or not he liked the episode is irrelevant because people aren’t even annoyed about that. just because you agree and don’t like moffat doesn’t validate you or him, so please sit the hell down. and alex learn some manners you’re an adult fucking act like it.

Lamps

I don’t get it. Why were all of you okay when he was criticizing twilight, but not now when he’s criticizing doctor who in exactly the same manner?

Josh

He didn’t criticize people’s opinion on Twilight. Carrie loves twilight, but i don’t see him saying to her “You have lower standards than me.” He would get slapped, put in place. However, because he has fame and fans, he gets away with it. Your telling me that if someone you loved said “You have lower standards than me” or insulted your fanbase, you wouldn’t feel heartbroken. Alex, you need to remember opinion is subjective to everyone. You cannot decide what is good or not.

I really didn’t like Lady Godiva, but you don’t see me telling people it is objectivley bad music. Alex, I worshipped you. Now, I can’t tell what to think. By the way, I bought all your music, watch all your videos, long time subscriber. If I don’t like one of your videos, I wouldn’t give up on you. Today, I think I met the new Alex Day. IN MY OPINION, subjectivley, he is vile.

http://twitter.com/LanaWrigley Lana Wrigley

I don’t want to get into an argument with anyone on here, but at no point did Alex say that he was an expert on what was good or bad TV. He said that if you thought AotD was a good episode, then you have lower standards than he does. And that’s not an insult, it is a purely objective statement.

Allie

That statement wasn’t based on fact at all. How can anyone prove that my standards of quality are lower than his?

Underclass Underdog

Because you are willing to accept shit telly, unquestioningly

Hannah

To be honest, I agree with a lot of what Alex is saying. Moffat has his moments of genius, but there are times when I just question what he was thinking when he put pen to paper and wrote the episode. The comment about Moffat’s inability to write female characters is, in my opinion, spot on. River, Amy, Oswin and even Irene Adler from Sherlock have very similar characteristics. In comparison, in previous series female companions were very different to one another.
Alex has always been a massive Doctor Who fan, to the extent to which he wrote his own episode script and invented Trock, so he has earned the right to have his own opinion on the episodes. To the people saying he’s very hypocritical as he ‘cashed in’ with the newest Chameleon Circuit album,you are completely unjustified. Chameleon Circuit were a band when Russel T. Davis was the main writer and their songs are actually their own take on the episodes. They were written because Alex and the other members of Chameleon Circuit enjoy Doctor Who, if they didn’t they wouldn’t have formed the band.
Alex is just sharing HIS opinion on the episode, you don’t have to share it bit you should respect his right to be able to do it.

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

Spot-on, Alex. Spot on.

I don’t see what was so great about the episode. I love Smith like
usual. But, the Daleks? Still silly. Was I suppose to care about Oswin?
Moffat’s weakness as a writer is his inability to script believable dialogue between people.
Everyone speaks like they’re reading from a “clever” script. Listen, I loved The West Wing, too. But, perpetually attempting to mimic Sorkin’s cadence & wit fails when it’s crushed into 45 minutes of spectacle.

Some tips for The Moff:

1) Smith’s Doctor is scariest when he’s NOT angry, or not showing it.

2) Just because a pretty tween actress wears a short skirt &
repeatedly states that she’s “a genius” does not instantly make her
likable, an icon, or even a viable character. It makes her a caricature of Moff’s
favorite type of woman. The only type he seems to be able to write. Just like the girl from EMPTY CHILD. Just like Renette from GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE. Just like Sally Sparrow from BLINK. Just like River Song. JUST like Amy. Repetitive, unbelievable, and seriously boring.

3) Add as much mythology to The Daleks as you like. But, for every
second The Doc stand in front of them & they don’t kill him
instantly is just another second of Doctor Who showing they can no longer use The Daleks as a legitimate threat.
Daleks USED to be scary because they were allowed to kill. Now they just shout & make up new titles for The Doctor.
Not at all scary, intriguing, or interesting. But, I bet the marketing
team at the Beeb is betting it will sell some serious toys.

Overall, if this is the state of what Moffat wants for Doctor Who….and would rather spend all of his actual legitimate creativity on hormone-driven fluff like SHERLOCK….then I, too, am ready for a new showrunner.

Fangirls & boys can spin it however they want, but that was a pathetic waste of an episode. I give AotD 5/10. All the right pieces were there. But, the story was
saddled with expecting me to give a shit about ‘Annoying Genius’. I didn’t. I don’t. And I really doubt I will. Why? Because I don’t want to f**k her, and that’s the whole point of her being there.

And for anyone trying to say “oh it’s just a kid’s show”, I’d suggest catching up to 2005. Been watching Who for 30 years and comparatively you have no idea what you’re talking about. Fact.

g

another dick who thinks his opinion is fact. why don’t you go away

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

No thanks. The difference is my opinion is based in critical thought, not emotional dependence. I stand by my points. Prove me wrong.

Because I don’t want to f**k her, and that’s the whole point of her being there.

Wow what a piece of shit you are.

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

Small minds. Thanks for that.

Underclass Underdog

Except he’s fucking right though.

Just because you watch this show to see teeny-skirt in action, doesn’t mean we all want to, kay

http://profile.yahoo.com/WNOKBWCDE32PHF5IXEFKRKFL3A Alana

RTD’s stories had plot holes also, but one thing I really respected. He had the ability to let his females be people. Moffat admits to mainly choosing Amy for her looks and oswin/clara does not look to be much different. Rose and Martha were pretty but very different. Donna was completely unique-personality over looks. Jackie was hysterical but no beauty queen. When Amy cries it’s dainty and artistic, a couple crystal tears glitter on the lashes. Rose, Donna, all of RTD’s females bawl their hearts out, mascara everywhere. If a girl is miserable enough to do that there is a certain level of honesty there. Some fans value that, others are made uncomfortable by that much emotion. I personally loathed Amy, and was glad to see her go.

milly

I really do not disagree with you. I think that Steven Moffat ruined the show a lot. He changed EVERYTHING and the show had a lot more depth back when Russel T Davies ran it. But I still really love Doctor Who and I did not love the episode but I don’t hate it as much as you do. Although you are right in every word you’ve written. Sorry for my bad grammar, English is not my first language !

milly

oops forgot the “not” I meant you are not right in every word you have written

Catriona

Oh, I don’t know. When I first read this I was pretty outraged. I know it’s been said before, but that ‘lower standards of quality’ comment really does take the piss, and even if he didn’t mean it that way, I took it quite personally. However, he did make some good points, even if he gave the impression that he thought his opinion was the only one worth listening to. I think the thing I most agree with is the ‘divorce’ storyline in the episode. It seems like it was thrown in just to get people to watch it, seeming as everyone who heard about it before the episode aired were pretty surprised it was happening. It also seems really implausible that Amy would just make up a reason to kick Rory out because she wanted him to be able to have children. Surely no one is that self sacrificing? What’s wrong with just talking about their options? I don’t know, it just seems implausible and silly, and fixed way too quickly. If Amy went to such drastic lengths to keep Rory in the dark about why they split, surely she wouldn’t just blurt it out after two seconds of their being together?
But anyway. This is the point I’m trying to make, Doctor Who ALWAYS has something wrong with it! Isn’t it a running joke about how incredibly low budget the classic episodes are? And how terrible the CGI is in the revival episodes? Doctor Who has always had people picking its storylines to pieces and criticizing the episodes: if anything this is part of why it’s so popular, because you can absolutely despise a particular episode and still enjoy the show. (Love and Monsters, anyone?) This is therefore where I think Alex is the most wrong. Because in my opinion, no matter how rubbish anyone thought the episode was, it still had that spark, the bit of Doctor Who magic which has kept it so popular all these years. They all do. Frankly, I’d still watch the show even if it was shown entirely in interpretive dance. To give up after one rubbish episode is absolutely ridiculous.

Natalia

It was a good episode, honestly didnt expect much more from it. People are getting butthurt cause truth hurts.

Anon

I think it is wrong picking up on Alex for a whole number of things I.e. His videos, his music etc. He just wrote this article to express an opinion which isn’t a chance to pour out your evergrowing hatred for Alex. I don’t think he wrote this article in spite, just to raise a discussion about Doctor Who and not anything personal. I think this has got slightly stupid like you’re all ganging up on Alex about his faults. You didn’t have to read this article.

Anonymous

I’m sure that at least half of you out there started following Alex because of his Twilight series, which was followed by his rant on 50 Shades of Grey. So my question is: why now? Before, he insulted Twilight and 50 Shades, both very popular works, using the exact same technique as he uses now. He called Twilight “bad writing” with no plots, no sensible female characters, etc. He said that 50 Shades of Grey was written for needy women and men (by saying that 50 Shades of Grey is pretty much porn). Personally, I think that saying a piece of work was written for “fans who gobble up whatever they can ‘gif’” is nicer than saying it is written for needy men and women. So if none of you were turned away by his poor attitude in the past, why is it such a big deal now?
And yes, I agree with Natalia: he wrote this to start a discussion, people.

Lalalala

I think Alex is just upset- what a lot of American fans of the show don’t understand is that, like myself and I suspect Alex, most English fans of the show grew up watching Doctor Who from a young age, just like our parents did. It’s a family thing. So to see the show get worse and worse and feel more and more like it is being made for a specific, more American, teenage-to-20-something population- and yes “gif making” or whatever as Alex said, is really depressing because for me that’s a big part of my childhood getting ruined. It used to be for made for English families. Now it just feels that original, quirky, British-y charm that appealed to the American fandom is just being forced.

We grew up with Rose- a working class girl who wasn’t miss super sexy and intelligent and snarky and witty and badass. She was relatable, and that’s what made her partnership with the Doctor interesting and funny, because the viewers know girls like that and characters like Jackie were great because you could imagine how a mum like that would react to this kind of ridiculous situation. River Song and this new girl are just flat, annoying characters to me and aren’t in the least bit relatable, which in my opinion is the most important trait in a companion.

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

Agreed completely.

Annie

I’ve been watching Who since I was 8 and I’m now 25 and I think it has gotten better and better, so your theory that only people who’ve grown up with it hate the new stuff is totally wrong.

And the only thing Rose had going for her was that she was obsessed with the doctor, relatable to you and the other tennant fangirls maybe, but not the people who actually want a woman with a backbone and a personality.

Also, judging the entirety of doctor who by Davies’ series is stupid. Davies’ was the exception not the rule. Moffat’s Who is closer to real Who, you’d know that if you’d ever watched any of it.

Lalalala

See, with me though I never even noticed there was anything going on with Rose and the Doctor- I genuinely just thought they were friends. I was like seven.

But clearly, you are a big fan of Doctor Who, which is great for you but it feels to me like the writers are only writing for the people who have seen lots of old episodes and know a lot about it ect. As someone who likes to watch it fairly casually on a Saturday night, it feels like I’m being alienated.

I feel like Rose is much more one dimensional than River or Oswin because she’s real- she’s from a normal background and has flaws. Now it feels like Moffat doesn’t bother adding characters like her in really because American viewers wouldn’t get it that much- they wouldn’t understand the jokes they are making about Rose’s background ect..

Rachel

“And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.” – This was the bit that disappointed me. I personally loved the episode, maybe not Oswin, but she was no worse than River so I was fine. I’m okay with him expressing his opinions, but to blatantly slag off the people who liked it is completely different. With his Twilight videos he said the book was terrible, yes, but he never said anything about the people who read it, he is even friends with people who like it (Carrie Fletcher).
I love Alex, and a lot of his music, but even I will admit that the fame is getting to his head. He shouldn’t be able to tell people they have low standards in quality and then walk away, smiling because you’ve started an argument between your own fans.
Also, I am not at all happy that he is just going to stop watching something that has been such a huge part of his life and his career. I wasn’t very impressed with some of the major storylines of series six but I am going to keep on watching because I am certain that it will get better.
I am also not going to unsubscribe to Alex because I have liked quite a few of his recent videos, and I am hoping that they will go back to the way they were when I first started watching them.
I really wish that he would get his head together and realise that who he has become is not who he should want to be.

Katie

I agree completely.

Becca

Exactly this.

Underclass Underdog

It’s a huge part of my life too, which is also why I won’t be watching it degrade any further.

Katie

I agree that this wasn’t one of the best episodes, but you seem to have forgotten that every show has it’s highs and lows. It’s not right to say a show is rubbish based off one episode. I understand that this was more of a rant blog, but you should’ve been more responsible, because this comes off as viscous, and makes you seem very arrogant. Now, I’m not going to start hating you or something stupid like that because of this, but I would recommend looking at this post through someone else’s eyes, to see how it would make you look at yourself. Because, frankly, it just seems rude to just tell of something that you appeared to be such a big fan of, and have made so much based off of.

Underclass Underdog

The entirety of Moff era as been one dull, boring, low

Niomio

Let’s get something straight – there are more people here defending Alex then not. Just because there is a small percentage of people making a valid point against what he said doesn’t mean they’re ‘ganging up’ on him. You yourself might not be offended, and that’s great, but that doesn’t mean the people who are offended are wrong to be so or not entitled to express their concerns.

James

Nah I think there are more people who are annoyed then not right now.

http://www.facebook.com/padraig.oruis Padraig Tomáis O’Rúis

I’m with Alex on this. For two years I’ve been hating Moffat’s writing. It’s just not good and now he thinks that because he’s in charge he can fuck with the established canon, main point being making the Doctor immortal.
On giving up on the series, yes I think that’s a bit OTT but I’m starting to give up on it to. I love Doctor Who, I always have. It’s my favourite show on TV and I was really looking forward to this episode but when it’s as badly put together as it was, I’m really not looking forward to it. I’ll keep watching seeing as there are good moments but if they screw up the 50th anniversary then I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’d be able to stomach Moffat once more.

Dr_Syn

“making the Doctor immortal”? Must have missed that episode.

g

then do us all a favor and stop watching. then u dont have to complain and we get to enjoy it without u ripping into it

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

Just because your opinion is different doesn’t mean an opposing one isn’t valid. You should examine why you need everyone to like what you like, rather than just enjoying it and allowing others to voice their personal dissent. It’s called having individual opinion. Look into it.

Underclass Underdog

Oh look, a standard generic response from a Moff fanboi

http://twitter.com/LanaWrigley Lana Wrigley

I know exactly what you mean. It’s like, you can’t stop watching, because there is still a part of you that thinks, “Maybe this week will be better,” and then it never it. I honestly feel kind of betrayed, if that makes sense.

Dr_Syn

I wager money that Alex will be back watching next week. If I can still tune in after the nightmare that was “Last of the Time Lords,” he can live through this one.

ryte

so true

Underclass Underdog

LOTL was superior to anything from the borefest of Moff

hmm

i think at some point alex will realise he overreacted if he hasnt already. whther or not he admits it is another matter

Amy

It’s good to have opinions. But it hurt my feelings to read
“And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.” Since when does submitting your opinion mean that you can make your fans feel like they’re below you? That was my main concern. I’ve supported you through everything and I probably will keep supporting you. But you crossed a line, Alex. I don’t have anything to say about the rest of the article except that I agreed with some points and disagreed with others. But disagreeing with you doesn’t mean that I have lower standards. It means I have a different opinion. You may love a tv show that I think is complete garbage, but I’m not going to tell you that my opinion is better than yours, which is basically what you did in this article.

pope

No episode of Doctor Who ever is as bad as Love & Monsters. Not ever.

Megan

That monster was created in a Blue Peter competition. You just insulted a small child. Well done

pope

The monster wasn’t as bad as the writing.

Underclass Underdog

The writing wasn’t as bad as the direction moff’s taken the show

g

true

Underclass Underdog

I don’t know, what about the massively overrated Blink? At least L and M was fun to watch

Stacey Dougal

TV is like a box of chocolates, especially a show like Doctor Who. There’s always one you don’t like, there’s always one you can’t get enough off, but at the end of the day there’s generally something for everyone – and of course there is the possibility that you like none of them. Watching this first episode is like taking the first chocolate. There’s still a whole box left and you’re throwing them away because the first one just didn’t meet your standards? I don’t know about you but I try a few more chocolates before I pass on the whole box.

Daniel

The way the Rory/Amy stuff was handled was so thrown together it sort of hurts to watch. That entire break up to the point of divorce and then wow at the end they get right back together, not only have you wasted a potentially nice story, but you’ve messed, almost ruined, with their characters

But what really didn’t make sense for me was, if she was a Dalek, HOW did she retain her human mentality and personality? Because if the Daleks made her a FULL Dalek because they wanted to use her for whatever, once they realized she was still partly human, they would have destroyed her.

And WHY would they have gotten the Doctor to destroy the Asylum if they had human/Dalek things that they controlled? Did I just forget the reasoning behind it or what?

I sort of hope this episode was just someone’s dream because that’s the only way it makes sense to me

Kaitlin

to hopefully clear up your confusion, where do they put the Daleks that are screwed up? In the Asylum, exactly where she was. And the Daleks didn’t convert her I believe, it was the Daleks in the asylum. They can’t control the Daleks inside the Asylum.

jeffgoldblum

everyone has opinions. not everyone is a dickhead.

Caitlin

While I feel you were a little harsh, I agree that it wasn’t the best episode. But everybody’s allowed to screw up and make mistakes. While there were parts that I absolutely loved, it has to be said that some things just came out of nowhere and messed things up. However, I disagree with your evaluation of Oswin. I thought she had more personality than you gave her credit for. And personally, I liked how we found out that she was a Dalek and how she was fully converted. For the first time, I felt truly sorry for a Dalek. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I’m really sad that this completely turned you off the awesome that is Doctor Who. Maybe you should give it another chance?

Underclass Underdog

The episode Dalek was far superior to this when it comes to dalek sympathy

Mary

“It’s okay to not like things, it’s okay, but don’t be a dick about it”

I dislike being told that simply because my opinon differs from yours, it makes my opinion inferior and I have a “lower standard of quality”

That is so unbelievably narrow minded, and to be honest just unnecessarily rude.

As someone who originally disliked Amy Pond, for the way her character was created on some sort of pedestal, and had to grow to like her (by the end of the last season I did really like her character) I’m looking forward to seeing how it will play out having a new golden girl in the series!

sodge

i think alex probably has a small penis

Underclass Underdog

I think you have no penis, or balls for that matter

Kirsty.

I partly agree with this, Alex, especially the parts about female characters.
It wasn’t the best episode, and had several flaws. But it certainly wasn’t ‘air-headed fluff’ or whatever you called it. I found the part where you completely belittled and insulted people who enjoyed the episode, or enjoyed ‘soap-opera froth’ quite upsetting.
Doctor Who is a show that has survived since 1963, has had a series of books, magazines, blogs, fanart and other things dedicated to it and has an inter-continental fanbase that is faithful and appreciative of it’s many good points. So you’re saying your opinion is more important than millions of others? Right.
I have not watched every episode of the classic Who, as I sincerely doubt you have, but you can guarantee there are a number of bad episodes, storylines and characters. To expect a television show (and it’s writers) to be 100% flawless, have perfect characters and arcs and to please everyone all the time is ludicrous. And to attempt to knock it down in one article of half-truths is unfair, and stupid. Not to mention ‘giving up’ on a show that you have claimed to love to the extent of writing two albums about it.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and to express it. This is mine.

Katrina

Honestly, I think Alex hit every single point. Doctor Who is an AMAZING show, it has been running for 40+ years, and has been pretty spectacular overall. But, lately Steven Moffat has been getting sloppy and well, just plain stupid! There is a serious lack of Continuality and disrespect for Canon which people would always rip of RT Davies about, but at least he would make up for it! Moffat has taken a once great show and turned it into something that I would barely consider to be Doctor Who! So, don’t hate on the fact Alex can see where a show is starting to deteriorate. And yea, he makes money off of the popularity of this show, but also consider he started trock and Chameleon Circuit because he LOVED the show, and that gives him every right as a fan to voice his displeasure.

g

doesn’t give him the right to think his opinion is more valid then anyone elses though.

Katrina

I’m pretty sure he just said that he holds Doctor Who to a higher level than what you expected. People should stop acting like they are personally getting attacked because Alex’s expectations were not met and yours were.

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

The author can THINK that all he likes. But, if he thinks it, does it make it fact? No. He wrote a blog opinion. You can do the same contradicting what you think he said incorrectly. So, yeah, he totally has the right to express his opinion in the matter he chooses.

Underclass Underdog

But he never said that though. Can’t you smart-arse Whovian’s see sarcasm?

http://twitter.com/OzzyBaxter Ozzy B

Agreed. It’s as if some people are afraid the show will go away if they don’t just blindly swallow fandom consensus. There are good episodes and bad episodes. Moffat is great at some things and horrible at others. Same with RTD. Same with Cartmel. Same with JNT. Same with Bidmead. Same with Robert Holmes. Same with Barry Letts & Terrence Dicks. And on and on back through 50 years of different voices. The myth is that you have to totally accept and love everything about Doctor Who if you want to call yourself a fan. The truth is that there are good and bad things we all love and hate about Doctor Who. For every single fan that demands a romantic element, there’s one that misses the more clinical aspects of old. For every classic fan that needs continuity to be followed to the letter, there’s a fan that came in during 2005 and couldn’t give a damn about the details. It’s the mix of good and bad that make the history of the show. It’s tolerance and change that Doctor Who preaches. We all need to accept that and stop going after others for their opinion. Trying to oppress the voice of the dissenter smacks of an insecurity in your own beliefs. We all have a right to what we believe to be true. About life and about Doctor Who.

Bitches. ;p

Mat

I liked the episode and if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. See what I did there.

Get off your high horse mate.

whofan88

Look at it like this:

Alex Day has a relatively small following. The number of people who watch Doctor Who compared to how many people watch his videos is gigantic. The amount of people who cross over both is comparatively minuscule. 99% of Doctor Who fans don’t know or care who he is, wont even read this article. His opinion doesn’t matter to the show or the fans or really anyone outside this tiny group of people. So all this arguing over his like or dislike of Doctor Who is a waste of time. This article doesn’t matter.

whofan88

There will be people who use his opinion to validate their own “Alex Day doesn’t like Moffat and neither do I so I must be right!”, but no rational person with a brain is going to care about that argument. So no worries. The haters will always hate because they have nothing better to do. And those of us who can look past the inevitable flaws Doctor Who has will always enjoy it regardless.

James

harsh but true

Underclass Underdog

Well if you don’t read the article, why are you commenting? Just to blatantly attack an individual because you don’t like him? You know, that’s what happened in Germany all those years ago. I thought you WHO fans would be far too intelligent to copy Hitler. Wasn’t WHO a program that used to educate people against this very type of thing? Notice I said “used to” because Alex is correct, since your beloved Moff took over, all I learn from WHO now is that I should change the channel before being bored to death.

Moron

HatTheCat

I’m subscribed to Alex on YouTube and I agree that he does plug a lot of his music/brands on his videos, but I think people need to calm down a bit. He started making YouTube videos a while ago, when yes agreed he was just a kid in his room, but he isn’t a kid anymore, he is an adult who has decided to lean more on his music career than on his video career, just as Charlie has decided to move towards a career in film making, hence his higher quality videos are scripted, planned and professionally edited. Both have used their YouTube prominence as a springboard to connect to more important people and to highlight their new ventures, and also rely on their YouTube fans to help them, just as other musicians/directors rely on their fans to buy their music and help their career. Alex is unsigned and so cannot rely on a big PR company to plug his albums and make flashy adverts, but he hopes his fans will enjoy his music and help him so he talks about his music on his videos. Danny, you say you enjoyed his videos when he just talked about his life, well his life involves music now and so he talks about his music a lot and you shouldn’t berate him for it. As people grow and change, their interests, hobbies and goals change and you shouldn’t expect him to continue to feel the same way about things just because he used to support them, or has shown support for them. For example, you enjoyed Alex’s videos, the quality of them has changed and so you stopped watching them, you then told him why in your comment. Alex enjoyed Doctor Who, he felt the quality has changed he stopped watching them and now he has written why. It’s the same principle. I personally think that perhaps his review is not up to critique standard and it isn’t the best piece of journalism, but this shouldn’t be made in to an attack on his vlogging career. Yeah he made money through chameleon circuit, which is about Doctor Who, but people make money from things they don’t support all the time. You think people who play for Man U all love Man U? No, they play for them because they are offered £250,000 a week. Alex made money from something he supported and enjoyed AT THE TIME. He has decided he doesn’t like it anymore. Get over it.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

“He has decided he doesn’t like it anymore. Get over it.”

Why are the people defending Alex failing to realise that this is not what people are disappointed about? It seems like the only person that needs ‘getting over’ is Alex Day… Over himself.

g

here here

lola

i dont like your teeth but you dont hear me complaining that you need braces

ChrisPine

Wow.

Who cares.

g

nobody

Alex

You can’t possibly give up so easily. Spending so much time on songs and after one admittedly rubbish episode you’re throwing in the towel. I’m a huge fan of your music and videos, but if you were a true fan, whose main intention was to show their love of Doctor Who went writing songs, you would give them chance after chance because it was once an amazing show, and you hope so very much that it will pick up at some point.
Unless of course Doctor Who was just an easy TV programme to write songs about, then I’m afraid I’ve lost interest in them, you shouldn’t invent a music genre of your own, if you aren’t a true fan.

Gizmo

I don’t think it’s about the show being easy to write about so much as it being an untapped money making opportunity. Writing trock is an easy way to get people’s money and to get fans to flock to your yt vids, where you can advertise the music you take more seriously. This seems to be all Alex cares about anymore.

Me

It’s perfectly fine to state your opinion, but it’s the way in which you do it. In this case, Alex has done it in a bad way, with the repeated use of ‘objectively’ (sorry, but your opinions are just that, Alex. Opinions. They are not facts. *cough* arrogant *cough*) and by saying ‘I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do’, well, that’s just rude. Get over yourself. It really seems like the ‘fame’ has got to your head. Shame.

Meg

Seriously guys, it’s his opinion. If he finds that he didn’t enjoy the episode and that they have changed since previous seasons then he is able to do so. In regards to previous comments, his youtube channel does include his music but he also has much other content that he creates. People have opinions just like you have the opinion that you don’t enjoy his videos. And yes he had a band about Dr Who, Chameleon Circuit, but again, if his opinion has changed about the series then it really has nothing to do with him trying to previously profit of this series, I believe the band was purely for enjoyment and artistic expression. In regards to him being harsh, look around, the internet is full of people expressing their harsh opinions and maybe you should look at your own comments as being harsh.

http://twitter.com/allthingselse Not Telling

The people who are criticising him are being harsh (no doubt) but really, this is only in response to his unfounded comments about anyone who enjoyed the episode. Why would anyone take kindly to basically being called an idiot for enjoying an episode of Doctor Who?

Underclass Underdog

Alex is right.

Megan

I love how the people complaining about the reaction to this post have entirely missed the point. Alex can have whatever opinion he wants but there is no need to suggest that because it is his, it is superior to everyone else’s. No one is complaining about the fact he has an opinion so there is no need for you to defend him over that point. It is getting a bit exasperating watching people argue over something that everyone with a little bit of common sense agrees on. If you’re going to defend him then please explain to me why it is acceptable for him to suggest his opinion is superior to everyone else’s and that I have no intelligence for enjoying the episode.

Becca

It was a little bad, but come on Alex, it’s just one episode. They might need a little fluff to start the season. I’m going to wait it out and if it continues to be of poor quality, I might stop watching but chances are I’ll watch it anyways. I can’t just throw away my favorite show for AN episode, if I did that I probably would have stopped watching ages ago.

Angeline

The Unicorn and the Wasp, anyone?

http://profile.yahoo.com/WNOKBWCDE32PHF5IXEFKRKFL3A Alana

TUATW was supposed to be silly. I cracked up every time they threw in another gratuitous Christie book title. I can picture the cast keeping score and inventing new drinking games. There is a big difference between and episode that is supposed to be played for laughs, and an episode which is supposed to be serious that ends up being ridiculous.

Katie Miller

I’d agree with everything you say, dude. I managed to kind of enjoy the episode, but only because it’s pretty hard to disappoint me in DW terms these days. My standards have been so drastically lowered by the recent (s5&6) quality of the writing on the show, I now overlook cases where it doesn’t really make any sense if you allow your brain to get involved and is only only mildly offensive as being a refreshing change from the usual train wreck.

patric

honestly people! you followed this kid. he is 23 and hasn’t lived a life yet, why are you taking him seriously, anybody under the age of 30 probably should be ignored, i never heard or him before today, so i looked him up and listened to his music and came to the conclusion he sucks balls. come on people

nick

he does gargle some balls

Tricia

I am 24, an Alex Day follower, and a massive who nerd (back to Hartnell era) so why exactly should my opinion be ignored?

NO1FAN4VA

I AGREE WIV U ALEX U R ALWAYS RIGHT BOUT EVERYTHINK

ANYONE WHO DONT IS JUST DUMB LIKE YOU SAID

GO AWAY IF U DONT AGREE THERE IS NO ROOM FOR UR LOGIC HERE

JUST OUR OBSESSIVE LUV FOR ALEX

AND OUR INABILITY AT REASONABLE THINKING

BECAUSE ALEX IS ALL TJHAT MATTERS

Underclass Underdog

How contemptibly childish. I thought you WHO fans were meant to be intelligent?

moriarty

Here he is,
The biggest douche of the universe.
In all the galaxies,
There’s no bigger douche than you.

You’ve reached the top,
The pinnacle of douchedom.
Good goin’ douche.
Your dream has come true.

Natalie

You’re one to talk. No need to act like an asshole and blow things out of proportion.

g

you mean like alex blew this out of proportion?

Annie

Sums it all I think.

g

Alex Day = drama queen.

Annie

DiVa aNtIcS

josh

Have to be honest when I first read this and how ~emotional is is I just thought he was like a baby throwing his toy out of his pram and crying. Like dude you’re a grown ass man suck it up.

Underclass Underdog

As opposed to all you Moff fanbois willing to burn people alive for telling the truth?

Kent

You mean like Alex blows your dad?

jeffgoldblum

uuum calm down its just a song from south park

nick

you mean like alex gargles balls?

dan

And now people are trolling because this whole damn article is ridiculous.

Kaycee Burtt

Moffat isn’t the only one that’s a bad writer, Alex. For fuck’s sake, all of your videos nowadays are exactly the same. I thought I’d give you a chance for a bit more, but this article is the “tipping point.”

I enjoyed this episode, and would totally respect your opinion differing from mine (I even agree almost entirely on point 1!), but then “It felt like it was just written for the fans who gobble up whatever they can gif and write ‘omg the feels’ tumblr posts about.”
AHAHAHAHA NOPE. I’m feeling rather glad I never bought any of your songs.

UH

I agree a lot with the point about Oswin/clara/whatever being disappointing for being just like some other female characters (especially River Song who I don’t like very much anyway) and that some of the aspects of the show are beginning to get very repetitive, however I still enjoyed the episode a lot. I thought the idea of the whole thing was really creative and it felt like we were seeing a whole other side to the Daleks. I actually really enjoyed the ‘soap opera’ between Rory and Amy because we’d never really seen any of The Doctor’s companions in a situation like that and I don’t think Russel would have even thought about doing that (I keep thinking about Rose and Mickey’s relationship and how disappointing I felt Mickey was as a character, Rose would just go off without him and he’d never object and it just never felt like he really did anything until he just seemed to disappear completely). Also I think the whole ‘Doctor Who?’ thingat the end was just to tie it in with the last series seeing as there’s been a large gap between them idk.

And although it’s clear to me from Chameleon Circuit and stuff that Doctor Who does mean something to you so the first episode of the series being so disappointing to you must really suck, It is still kind of slightly a bit maybe insulting to say anyone who did like the episode is either only watching Doctor Who to make gifs or has terrible taste.

TomK

” I actually really enjoyed the ‘soap opera’ between Rory and Amy because
we’d never really seen any of The Doctor’s companions in a situation
like that and I don’t think Russel would have even thought about doing
that (I keep thinking about Rose and Mickey’s relationship and how
disappointing I felt Mickey was as a character, Rose would just go off
without him and he’d never object and it just never felt like he really
did anything until he just seemed to disappear completely)”

Thank you, it amazes me how many people forget that RTD had one dimensional characters.

Casey

Although I disagree with Alex’s opinion on this episode, I’m so sorry about all the hate he’s getting for this post. On behalf of the Doctor Who fandom, I apologize for our obnoxiousness.

BVannillie

I apologise to the Doctor Who fandom on behalf of Alex Day necause he’s too much of a twat to do it himself. I’m sorry fandom, I’m sorry Alex thinks he’s better then you.

Sarah

Alright so I’m gonna say this; what I’m about to say is something that has been bothering me for a while, and I’m kind of on the fence about the whole idea, but I’m going to point it out, because I think some people may feel the same way.
Alex’s audience is a very teenage audience. A very teenage girl audience, and that’s normal, and that’s fine. The problem is, for a person like Alex who has lots of opinions and no problem sharing them, is when they clash with the audience’s opinions.
I know it’s hard for me to see someone who I idolize bashing something I really like. There is something about Alex’s ability to speak his mind and not care about anyone else thinks that’s amazing, but it can also be obnoxious, like when he’s dissing one of your favorite television shows.
When you get to a certain level of fame (just when a decent number of people recognize you and follow what you do), there are consequences that come with it. One of those consequences is learning that your actions are going to have really big ripple effects and I’m not sure if Alex gets that. I mean obviously he does it to mess with us, but sometimes, it really messes with us. Like now, when the show that is still brilliant thank you get much, is being bashed in front of my eyes. Not just my eyes, but lost of people’s eyes. And it’s not just any review, it’s a review by a person that I really like.
I’m getting tired of defending Alex. I’ve done it numerous times on Twitter when people were criticizing him for the two song releases and when people were saying nasty things because I don’t want to see things I like bashed. But it’s getting harder and harder and I don’t know what to do anymore. I really do not agree.
I love the new episode, and it was everything I wanted it to be. What I’m trying to say is that Alex, your words have consequences. For a lot of your audience, it’s bigger than you believe it to be. I just want to put that in your brain.
(also, when someone saying your videos have been lacking quality gets me on their side, something is usually wrong)

I’m Not SCARED!

There is no way you’ll get Karen Gillian now. Yes I too felt rather flat after watching the episode, but I’m not giving up watching an entire series with brilliant actors, and overall great writing just because of one slightly off episode. If you were such a fan of doctor who as you make yourself out to be, then this would not stop you from watching the rest of the series. I lived in a country that didn’t show doctor who on the TV, but that didn’t stop me from watching it, yet you’re the one with the album about it. I am as disappointed in you as you are with this episode, because now I can tell you just want to be controversial, and there is no point listening to what you say, when you only say it to get a reaction from someone, or because it is what people don’t want to hear. I don’t know why I even bothered writing this out, because it is just what you want, but Alex please grow up and stop abusing your power of being slightly famous on YouTube. Take up a career in being salesman, because we all know you are good at selling things people don’t want. I have unsubscribed and re-subscribed to you many times, but this is the tip of the ice berg and I am going to watch someone who is actually appreciative of their subscribers. So thank you for the videos I have watched and actually liked, but the bad ones outweigh the good.

randomcommenter

ok here is my issue: everyone is so angry about this post and is saying they will unsubscribe because he was so condescending to people who like the episode but in reality this is not the first time he has done this so why are we all freaking out now? Take his video the atheists puzzle, he straight up says “I don’t need religion to make the universe more amazing then it already is” thus implying that those who are religious aren’t intelligent or creative enough to see the wonder of the universe which is why we need religion. I find that comment to be a bit degrading but while there was some conflict over the video, most non religious people didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Or what about twilight? He spent all those videos calling the book a peace of crap and though he never out and out said that if you like the book you are an idiot it’s not like he was really fair to those who did like the book. So why is everyone so mad now? Because everyone here loves doctor who! He is not just being insulting to other people now, he is personally insulting you and that is what make you angry. When you are a fan of alex you are a fan knowing that you are going to get some potentially insulting material but you stay because his videos are interesting, hilarious, and he does have his moments where he comes off really sweet and awkward. Its the same as when you sign up for doctor who and you know you are going to get some wacky plots that you don’t totally understand and some bad cgi effects but you still watch it because its doctor who and it is amazing. I don’t agree with alex and i agree he could have been nicer about his opinion, but this is alex and it’s really nothing that i didn’t expect

Regina

Rory hadn’t ever met the Daleks before right? How would he know they were trying to say exterminate? You make a decent point or two Mr. Day but I’m afraid in a battle between Doctor Who and you. Bet on Doctor Who.

Caroline

You said objectively too much which was objectively bad reviewing.
Yeah, this was harsh and uncalled for. I’m feeling quite disheartened.
Plus, I like the new girl. I feel that she’s much more intelligent, more sarcastic, and a bit less annoying than Amy (I love Amy, but now and then she bothers me a bit). And don’t even try to compare her to River, they are completely different.

Tricia

Hey Alex,

I love your videos, I watch them all (some more than once).
I could critisise you for what you wrote after, as everyone has pointed out, you have made so much money from Doctor Who, but I won’t. Wanna know why?

Because I agree with you 100%

Yes you made money from Chameleon Circuit, that doesn’t mean you have to like the show when Moffet is destroying it.

My friends and I have watched the last two seasons because we are Who fans and we are loyal to the idea of Who, but is a painful experience and we spend the rest of the night tearing the ep to shreds.

To all those who think this is good story telling, go back and watch Genesis of the Daleks, that was a good story. Or even better go back and watch the original Dalek story. Compared to those this is really badly written fanfiction – just like all the other drivel Moffet is putting forward as cutting edge science fiction.

I will continue watching this season the same as I watched the last two, but beyond giving me a way to vent my frustrations I get little joy from it.

Good on ya Alex for expressing your opinion in an editorial, I look forward to your next video.

Underclass Underdog

Genesis rocks!

Paddy

Fair play to you Alex for speaking your mind. It’s refreshing to see someone put up a bad review of the woefulness that has become Doctor Who. I love Who but Moffet and Smith are ruining it for me(i’m only sticking with it because i’m a loyal fan). The new episode was shockingly bad, as it just made shit up and completely ignore the Who-lore that has been there for the last fifty years.

Don’t let these people get you down mate, they just don’t like hearing the truth,

All the best
Paddy

Underclass Underdog

Bingo. I watch it out of duty, not because I enjoy it.

liontiger14

Alex, I still love your YouTube videos, and you have every right to express your opinion on the episode. I really don’t care when you say you didn’t like it at all (though to give up on a series because you didn’t like one episode is a little dramatic), but to say that if someone else enjoys it they have a lower standard for television than you is just arrogant and rude. I’m not going to unsubscribe, but that was harsh and unnecessary, and frankly, I’m just disappointed.

J.K.

Thank you, Alex. I agree SO MUCH. Asylum of the Daleks was hugely disappointing for all the reasons you mentioned. This may be it for me and Doctor Who. Go back to writing school Moffatt, stop trolling around and do characters like Amy and River the justice they deserve. Hated the new companion– she’d work if she was the new Doctor maybe (we are so overdue for a companion who is not a white male), but not a new companion. We can only handle so much of the “I’m so clever” bullshit between the Doctor and everyone else. And if one more person hates on River but likes this new companion, I swear…..

Ugh, it sucked. And please stop hashing this Rory/Amy relationship nonsense over and over and over again. WE GET IT.

Lee

I really liked this episode. Oh oops sorry, I can’t help that my low standard of quality is showing.

http://www.facebook.com/murilo.papareli Murilo Papareli

You just called yoursef cool and cult and said bullshit about an awsome show! If you don’t like the “New Who” like a lot of other people, just stop watching and come back to the 26 seasons of “Classic Who”… I’m sure you are going to have a great time and will not piss anybodys off…

Underclass Underdog

What’s wrong with a bit of constructive criticism? Will your weak willed fanboi mind implode if somebody says a bad word about NUWHO?

Amy

I’ve already commented my anger about a particular sentence in this article. The “lower standards” thing hurt me a bit. And of course I was annoyed with most of the things you said in the article. But honestly, I shouldn’t of let this bother me as much as it did. I’ve been with you for a few years and I always look forward to seeing “nerimon uploaded a video” on my homepage. I’ve grown to really love you, Alex. You make me laugh, you make me happier, and this time you annoyed me.. But hey, it was bound to happen sometime. So what I’m trying to say here is that I’m with you. Maybe not on this article, haha, but I’m definitely here to stay. xx

http://www.facebook.com/olivia.kalty Olivia Kalty

I definitely agree with that to some degree (especially the recurring female character type ). However, while that may be true, you shouldn’t just give up on Doctor Who!
I’ve noticed that with Moffat’s writing you get a couple of crappy stories, but there’s always a redeeming episode that’s just so incredible, and maybe it’s worth waiting around for.
But overall, a good episode of Doctor Who is one where the Doctor thinks of something you would have never thought of. I love that little kid feeling when my hero (or madman with a box) gets through a situation I knew they were going to survive, but I’m still so happy they did. This episode definitely gave me that feeling.

Anastasia

Do you guys not even care that the Doctor didn’t address the whole Skaro thing? I mean, they were on Skaro- a TIME-LOCKED PLANET. And he doesn’t even wonder how he got there. Then, at the end of the episode, he just dances around in the TARDIS instead of addressing the bigger issue of my worst enemy just forgot about me, but I reminded them again. This whole episode just completely ignored a bunch of issues relating to the older seasons of Doctor Who. And I think the main reason is because of the whole newtoWho thing. Which, is cool, I guess. But if Moffat’s going to act like everything during New!Who Series 1-5 didn’t happen, then how is that okay? When they showed Daleks as being human, it kind of really struck a chord with me because that’s the whole point of Daleks: they’re NOT human. You are not supposed to feel sorry for them. They are the Doctor’s worst enemies. They are void. But to make them vulnerable and human just seemed so wrong. Another thing, Oswin seems to be just like River. She’s smart- smarter than the Doctor- and flirtatious to no end. C’mon, now. Can’t we have ONE WOMAN who DOESN’T like the Doctor? It just seems so repetitive. Now, I’m sorry if you genuinely think this episode is better than the rest of Doctor Who, but comparitively it just doesn’t shed a light. Because it just doesn’t have the whole Doctor Who feel to it. The Doctor didn’t know more in this episode. Oswin did. The Doctor didn’t question how things were done. It was basically centered around Amy’s and Rory’s relationship and Oswin. Instead of focusing on the bigger issues, like- Why aren’t the colorful Daleks trying to destroy the older, “obsolete” Daleks in Parliament? How in the hell did they get on Skaro anyways? Last time they tried to mutate Daleks and humans, it turned into a Dalek/human hybrid that was “too human” for the Daleks; how have the Daleks improved this technology? It just seems like an episode written to get new Whovians interested (which is not bad but should be done within limit), rather than satisfying the questions of returning fans. I agree with the majority of you that Alex shouldn’t have said that you had “lower standards” than he does if you didn’t like the episode. But the rest of what he says is pretty accurate. You can’t just pull out that SINGLE SENTENCE.

Tylerdurden

As many have pointed out, while your criticisms are valid personal reactions, I think it’s a bit rich for you to be calling out others who didn’t respond in the same way and arguing that your response is the ONLY valid response.

I thought the episode was seriously flawed, but my issues were more fundamental plotting points. The key ones:

* The Daleks hear a transmission of some music from the Asylum, and so decide they need to destroy the entire planet. Really? Why not work out the cause of it first and determine the level of threat, and try to neutralise it? The desire to destroy the whole thing is inconsistent with their earlier statement that they kept the insane Daleks alive in the Asylum, rather than destroying them, because they thought it wrong to destroy something of “such beauty”. Why is it suddenly OK when faced with such a weak threat?

* The Asylum has a force field round it, which prevents the daleks outside from destroying it – and it’s operated from within the Asylum. Hang on – if you really have an Asylum full of crazed daleks that you may wish to eliminate, surely you’d want your force field operated from an external location so that the inmates couldn’t seize control of it? Or at least install an externally operable override.

* And on that force field – obviously the Alaska was able to penetrate it…

Unfortunately I thought there were several potentially good ideas that were not hung together coherently. My opinion? These are far more fundamental structural flaws than (say) complaints about a little expositional language. But if people enjoyed the program despite these, I’m not going to slag them off over it.

Underclass Underdog

In a nutshell, Steven Moffat!

Hannah

It makes me sad to hear you’re giving up on the show, you were the one who introduced me to it in the first place! Changed my life, you did. But you’re entitled to your own opinion, and you made a lot of very valid points. Sorry for all the hateful comments coming before mine, that’s unecesarry. I still love your videos and your music, so keep it up! I hope you find a reason to fall back in love with Doctor Who.

JohnJL

I can’t decide what is more stupid about this article. The fangirls mercifully defending their prince charming and completely missing the point of why people are pissed off, the pissed off people actually thinking Alex Day will apologise or care (someone who opens with ‘i’m better then you’ doesn’t seem like they care a whole lot about anyone or anything tbh), or the fact that this guy thinks anybody outside his harem of underage girls actually gives a crap what he thinks.

emma

You forgot the hilarious photo of him up top. Equally stupid.

Karen

May I confirm something? The reason everyone’s angry is because he says ‘And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do’, am I correct?
Now I’d like to note that I’m not part of the ‘underage harem’ you’re describing. I’ve seen some of Alex Day’s videos, and I like Chameleon Circuit, but I’m not going to defend him blindly.

I’ll say what I said to Claire: he’s critical. Alex is a person who sees flaws acutely. He at no point said he was better than anyone else, and in the comments he even said that the quality remark was a badly written statement and he didn’t mean to imply he was better than everyone else.
Tell me, JohnJL, do you think someone who replies to comments, says ‘Feel free to disagree with me’ and openly states that he did something wrong as well as telling people what he meant and debating with them without getting nasty (like some of the people commenting) really doesn’t care about anyone or anything?
As someone who a) likes Doctor Who, b) is not in the harem of underage girls and c) knows other people who like Doctor Who and aren’t in the harem, I’d say that lots of people want to read what he thinks.
Just like I read what you think, even though I disagree with you.

Underclass Underdog

What about all the fanbois needlessly defending this piss poor excuse of a show?

http://twitter.com/sudburymagician James Thomas

What a stupid review.
I have a couple of thoughts and a bit of rebuttal.
(1) the “I have higher standards than you” issue I know very little about him, I’m aware of his involvement in Chameleon Circuit, which I rather enjoy, and have spent a while learning Uke covers for. Beyond that, I have no idea who he is, so I’ve nothing else to make a decision on him as a person.
And man he seems like an arrogant sod.
(2) the point about the female companions. “a beautiful, smart, teasing, flirty, confident woman who can do things the Doctor can’t”
So, apparently, the next companion for The Doctor shouldn’t be someone who can challenge him in some way, or bring something new to the dynamic.
It’s television, the companion is always going to be at least moderately attractive.
We don’t want a stupid companion do we? Someone that needs to constantly have The Doctor holding his/her hand? Who isn’t capable of making good decisions? Teasing/flirty – Now this is something of a point, Moffat does like his companions feisty, but, again, I think it has that element of the character having something about them, and, again there’s the tv element, it’s not too much of a hardship watching a flirty attractive young woman. Confident – You can’t have a companion without confidence! It just wouldn’t work. First of all, this seems to be a trait The Doctor looks for in a new companion, he explores galaxies and faces danger daily, he doesn’t want a shy/scared person with him.
Secondly, would someone lacking confidence even step foot inside the TARDIS? No!
A companion needs to be confident! If not openly, obviously confident, there must be the embers of confidence there at least.
(3) Info-dumps, Exposition and Infertility.
I may not have been focusing properly, but to me it seemed as though Rory wasn’t aware of the fact that Amy was infertile, and I found that moment really sad and shocking (with one slight problem I’ll note below).
The fact that Alex Day thinks a one line name-check to a previous episode is bad writing is ridiculous. A very brief mention of Demon’s Run either – reminds viewers who know hat happened exactly what a terrible ordeal Amy went through, and something that is obviously still haunting her, and for new viewers shows that this isn’t something that has just been pulled out of the air.
The only issue I had with this was – are there not fertility clinics in the future? I’m sure The Doctor wouldn’t mind dropping her off, hell he’d even sonic a credit card/chip for her like he did for Adam in that Nu Who series 1 episode. But, that opens up more about the psychological issues here that I’m not capable of discussing properly/with any knowledge.
(4) Alex’s attacking the lack of new ideas when dealing with “the Ponds having kids AGAIN?!”
The point he makes here is just ridiculous, now, I think the baby River Saga should have been a lot more harrowing than it was, but hey, kids programme etc.
That series wasn’t about the Ponds having a child so much as having a child stolen from them – a child they didn’t get back! They know that she was eventually okay, but still had their baby stolen – they didn’t have any time with their child at all! -To me, an almost offensively stupid point made by Alex.
(4) – Rory the idiot. First, Alex complaining about the lack of the Ponds crying and talking through the no kids revelation. It was one of the big emotional hits of the episode!
But what is really important is that it showed how Amy and Rory were being honest, and that they were starting to talk and to reconcile, and really, that’s all we need to see.
Re: Rory punching the air… gentlemen (and indeed ladies) of R/Doctorwho. Amy Pond/Karen Gillan has just invited you to her place… YES! and punching the air seems a reasonable response to me.
As for the Eggs-ter-minate… it was the comic relief in a very dark, tense episode. And I laughed, it was fun. And anyway, these Daleks are the insane ones. Maybe they did have an egg craving! Stranger things have happened in Who.
(5) Lack of Continuity. This can be split up into smaller points.
Doctor – The Predator. The Doctor seems to be the only person capable of scaring the Daleks and consistently beating them, it is quite clear that he is extremely unlikely to offer them much mercy. This should be coupled with the fact that we don’t know how long it’s been since we last saw the Doctor, he could have crossed swords with them a dozen more times, things might have changed.
What colour – The new colours were not, on the whole, very popular. I liked it, but many didn’t. In response to this, I thought it had been established in interviews and talks with Moffat and co. that the new Paradigm Daleks were now the equivalent of an Officer Class, with the brass daleks staying as the grunts. Alex also complains about “where did all these Daleks come from”. Alex, I’m afraid that some things need to happen off-screen, otherwise, we’ll never, ever see a story end and the budget won’t stretch. When the Daleks left in Victory of the Daleks, surely it was obvious that they were off to rebuild, coupled with the time-travel elements of the program, the DOctor could have come across whole platoons of them, to him, 5 minutes later.
The full Dalek Conversion – see Nu Who series one, end of the series, there ALL the Daleks (of the millions of them) had come from humans abducted from the space station. This isn’t new.
(6) The Dalek’s forgetting The Doctor. Now, as a plot point, I thought it was… interesting, but hey, we’ll see if it pays off in time. but anyway, Alex has misremembered what happened here. The Doctor didn’t make them forget him, Oswin did, he was surprised that she had. And come on, him leaving the Daleks flabbergasted, and taunting them – that was great.
For the record, I’m not sure where all this “Doctor who?” stuff is going, but I’ve not been disappointed by The Moff so far, so lets see what the payoff is like.
(7) Ehhhh, Matt Smith’s chin is pretty big… And Arthur Darvill does have a reasonable sized nose – he’s been referred to as the nose before. If other characters have noticed his nose, no reason why another wouldn’t.
I thought this episode was brilliant, it had emotional content, was really chilling and had me guessing. AND IT HAD DALEK ZOMBIES!!! WHAT’S MORE, SADISTIC, TAUNTING DALEK ZOMBIES! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?!

Ffjn

Why does nothing please you Alex?

Underclass Underdog

Because he has standards, unlike most Whovians, nowadays.

Julia Burnt

you are a disappointment to the fandom. good riddance.

Underclass Underdog

You are a disappointment to life

Meet my friend Sutekh:)

peacock345

I find it really offensive that people are acting like it’s ok for Alex to be so rude to people, especially because I guarantee that if anyone else had said it they wouldn’t be so happy to brush it off. I also find it offensive that because people unsubbed from him that makes them ‘bad fans’. Being a good fan isn’t about letting your idols do and say what they want and encourage them to look down on other people.

Underclass Underdog

They are all just a bunch of crybaby fanbois and if they did care half as much as they claim about this show, they would see that Alex is right and demand far more from it.

trockit

the irony here of course is that doctor who as a show is all about acceptance love caring friendship respect for others etc, and alex despite writing songs about it doesn’t seem to understand it himself. what do you call someone who doesn’t practice what they preach?

g

hyp·o·crit·i·cal
adjective /ˌhipəˈkritikəl/
Behaving in a way that suggests one has higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case

Rachel

Alex saying, “and if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.” It’s nasty and you should be no in position where you can deem your opinions of a higher status than others. It’s rude. Everyone has the right to their own opinions and that’s what you’ve done, you’ve given your opinion. I hold absolutely nothing against that. But for you to abuse others, (especially the opinion of your fan-base), in the quest to voice your opinion disgusts me.

It makes me sad to see a youtuber with such potential waste hour after hour on this fluff (I’m talking about you practically sabotaging your fan-base), and watching (and reading) any more of it will make me sadder.

Sound familiar mate. It’s you that makes me sad, not ‘Doctor Who’. Get over yourself.

Seeming as you can abuse people through your opinions I feel at pleasure to abuse you with my opinions.

I gave up with Dr Who when Moffat took over, I don’t like his writing style and I agree with a lot of your points.

Underclass Underdog

Moff sucks, bigtime

Tim Bunting

Moffat is the best thing to happen to Doctor Who since the reboot in my opinion. His worst episodes are still better then the majority of RTD’s episodes. And his best episodes are always amazing and well worth the bad episodes. It’s a shame you’ve turned into one of those annoying people who just always have to compare everything to old episodes in an attempt to find fault or validate your person opinion by nitpicking. I agree with what others have said, you should leave the fandom and do us all a favour.

Underclass Underdog

Blink is waaaay overrated.

Sarah N.

Good review. Only possible disagreement is that Smith’s chin is rather large. My suspension of disbelief was not broken by someone making a joke about it. My suspension of disbelief was broken because none of this episode made any sense. Oh, and because it was ableist as all hell and featured yet more queerbaiting.

pete

queerbaiting? you are so full of shit.

Underclass Underdog

The entirety of Moff’s run hasn’t made any sense.

Tahnee

Alex, I love your videos and also your writing. Your opinion on this episode is entirely valid, and you have excellent points. I wish you hadn’t of slammed fans for liking the episode, but you are justified in your criticism of this episode and your opinion of it. It’s a risky step to write such something like this about a show with such a huge fanbase that I can say, as a fan myself, can become extremely sensitive and aggressive at criticism of the show. You shouldn’t have said that fans would have bad taste in television, but you are justified to your opinion of the episode. But please do not give up on the show so easily, it might get better as it goes on.

g

it’s not the criticism of the show that anyone cares about, so please stop acting like we’re just rabid fans getting butthurt because someone said they don’t like our favourite show. it has nothing to do with him disliking the show or the episode. why can’t you stans read the comments before you start offering your first born over.

Lousie

Agreed. I don’t understand why anyone thinks this has anything to do with Alex not liking the episode. People complain and criticise shows all the time on the net, and even as a fan of Alex I recognise that in the grand scheme of things his opinion isn’t going to matter to a whole bunch of people. So why does it matter that one guy with a small fan base doesn’t like an episode? It doesn’t. That’s not the issue here. The issue is that he unjustly insulted his fans, the fanbase of the show that made him famous and really anyone who doesn’t agree with him. As someone who respects (a little less now) Alex it is upsetting and disappointing to see him behave in such a way for no other reason then to be harsh, to big himself up or cause trouble. It’s one thing to poke fun at the mindless teens who swallow down bile like Twilight, but insulting the intelligence of people just because they don’t have the same view as you is arrogant and narrow minded – something I never thought Alex was. It doesn’t matter how much I love Alex, this wasn’t ok and I seriously question anyone who says it is.

Underclass Underdog

But that’s exactly the case. Every time I dare to criticise a episode of WHO, you Moffat fanbois crack out the pitchforks. One track minded, much?

Ashley

I really, really, really like Alex’s videos, and his music, and I’m going to carry on watching them. I just think that this article was a little, or very, obnoxious and my opinion differs entirely. I really enjoyed this episode. I waited for it for a very long time, I was anxious for it to live up to my standards, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the Amy and Rory story line, because it provoked emotion. I liked Oswin, because she was strong, and interesting, and utterly different from Amy, or River… strong, independent, flirty characters, are not the same just because they share those characteristics. I just… I feel kind of disappointed that you had such a bad view, of a show I love greatly, and then told me I was a moron for enjoying it.

Charlie

Whilst I don’t agree with you, Alex, you are totally entitled to your own opinion – I’m not going to argue that. Having said that, though, you really need to do some research next time because you’ve missed some rather big information here.

Firstly, the idea of a full Dalek conversion was shown in 1985′s Revelation of the Daleks – it’s one of the main plot points of the serial and they even go as far as showing the process pretty much from start to finish. The reason why Dalek Sec was half human in Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks was because they were stranded there, and didn’t have the technology at hand – they had to make do with a hybrid because it meant keeping the race alive.

As for Rory, he’s always been the ‘clown’ of the group – that’s his character. Granted it was emphasised a lot in this episode but, even still, that’s who he is. The fact he’s never seen Daleks before (Sure he’s probably heard about them but he’s never been up close with one) justify his clumsy nature for me because, frankly, I’d be a little nervous if a creature I’d never met before was about to kill me.

Francesca Wright

the way I interpreted ‘rory wanted kids’ was yes he wanted kids, he had always wanted kids but Amy had thought that it meant way more to him than it actually did mean so had felt guilty and so a rift in the relationship was caused do they decided to divorce, when they actually talked about it (in the episode), Rory reveals that yes he does, but he wants Amy more, this puts Amy at ease that he doesn’t hate her so they like each other again. I think that’s why Amy hadn’t mentioned she couldn’t have kids, because she felt guilty because she thought they meant the world to him. I think you interpreted it in a way I didn’t, and I’m sorry about that.

Doctor who has never been the cutting edge of television and that doesn’t mean I don’t love and I won’t watch it. I personally found Russell T Davies’ episodes horribly cheesy and basically for kids not all ages, I WAY prefer both Matt Smith and Steven Moffat to Tenant/Davies.

The eggs thing, the point was it was RORY who heard it not the doctor, by introducing it earlier the AUDIENCE knew what was happening but not the doctor, the doctor still thought she was talking about soufflés, personally I liked that bit.

Amy

He’s allowed not to like the show, guys. I doubt that you all would be doing this if he were discussing Glee or Twilight, because you subjectively think they’re bad. Well, Alex subjectively seems to think Doctor Who is bad and – now everybody with me – THAT’S OKAY. We can disagree with him fundamentally, and it’s okay if his personal taste is different than ours and he chooses to write about it on the internet. You all do it to readers of Fifty Shades of Gray or to fans of rap, country, or dubstep, or Nicki Minaj or Carly Rae Jepsen or Justin Bieber or whoever is the trendy net-proclaimed ‘Crappy Musical Artist of the Day’. It’s not a big deal. And if you don’t do and have never done any of that ‘my taste is king and you all shall conform to it’ thing, then God bless you for that marvelous display of self-control.

Louise

I don’t understand why anyone thinks this has anything to do with Alex
not liking the episode. People complain and criticise shows all the time
on the net, and even as a fan of Alex I recognise that in the grand
scheme of things his opinion isn’t going to matter to a whole bunch of
people. So why does it matter that one guy with a small fan base doesn’t
like an episode? It doesn’t. That’s not the issue here. The issue is
that he unjustly insulted his fans, the fanbase of the show that made
him famous and really anyone who doesn’t agree with him. As someone who
respects (a little less now) Alex it is upsetting and disappointing to
see him behave in such a way for no other reason then to be harsh, to
big himself up or cause trouble. It’s one thing to poke fun at the
mindless teens who swallow down bile like Twilight, but insulting the
intelligence of people just because they don’t have the same view as you
is arrogant and narrow minded – something I never thought Alex was. It
doesn’t matter how much I love Alex, this wasn’t ok and I seriously
question anyone who says it is.

Lidlu

You’ve raised some good points and I would agree with you on some. However, I feel that you’ve done this article a bit cack-handedly, an aggressive expression of opinion is not necessarily a bad thing, but here I think you were too aggressive to the point of expressing same level of distaste towards fan of the show, who actually enjoyed the episode, which on all accounts was uncalled for.

Sophie

1) If there weren’t strong fantastic women in the show, a whole other group of arse holes would start up articles about the sexism in Doctor Who, just like they did with that little scene of the Doctor carrying Amy. Doctor Who is a show about a madman in a box travelling around with amazing intelligent women. You can’t just remove half of that. Saying you want that to change is like saying “oh god another regeneration that’s so OLD just change it already this is so objectively awful TV”. It’s part of the show!

2) Amy was revisiting the subject to, yes, fill the audience in on what has been going on, but also to explain to Rory that she didn’t kick him out, that she gave him up. It wasn’t an info dump or whatever, because they led up to it pretty well with the wrist band things and Rory trying to save everyone. (Not a stupid move.)

3) I’m sorry but River was a completely original idea. Don’t say you ‘saw it coming’ or it was ‘predictable’. You can’t just drop a bomb like oh btw River’s your daughter and completely move on without revisiting the subject of kids at all. Aaaand again you’re complaining about the women in Doctor Who. Who doesn’t have any original ideas left in his brain now? It wouldn’t be good to have a weak ugly stupid woman now would it?

4) If he was always, without fault, a perfectly intelligent being you’d again be complaining. He was panicking because he was alone in a room full of crazier-than-normal Daleks and trying his best to not get on their bad side. Also, just a reminder that Doctor Who is a family show so the punching the air thing, something that personally I think Rory would do, is a simple comical moment.

5) Everyone has different names for the Doctor: Chin Boy, Raggedy Man, Sweetie, Spaceman. So what if the Daleks do to? They’re all based on first impressions of the Doctor so the Dalek’s name for him “predator” is completely justifiable. And a minute ago you were complaining about the show not being intelligent enough, and now you’re saying they have to spell every little thing out to the audience?? Surely you can assume that their technology HAS improved. That’s what technology does.

6) Clearly you’re not a fan of self references. That’s what gives a TV show consistency and fluidity, otherwise it would be a group of jumpy events with out any little thing tying them together. It’s not that they couldn’t think of a more original way to end the episode – the creators of Doctor Who are clearly extremely dedicated and intelligent people – it’s that they were simply making a reference to a previous episode.

7) You can’t say that Rory’s nose isn’t a joke between other people than just Amy (if you remember it’s how the Doctor first referred to him). Nor can you say that the Doctor doesn’t have a big chin. Some people clearly think he does otherwise the comments about it wouldn’t exist.

I think it seems your success has too made you become very sloppy, not to mention obnoxious and rude to fans (which I thought you were). I don’t usually pull every little false accusation to pieces but that’s what you did so I thought I’d retaliate. I sincerely hope (and expect) that Charlie won’t suddenly stop watching Doctor Who until they get a new writer just because of some subjective inconsistencies.
And before I forget, maybe you should Google the meaning of ‘objectively’.

dyldo

i agree not the best episode, but why did this article get so much hate, he said he doesn’t care that his fans think he’s wrong, its his opinion and to be honest i wasn’t offended, Alex is no like 24 hes not a teenage boy any more

Angeline

That’s right, it’s his opinion and everyone is entitled to one.
However, it is utterly rude and offensive to say that your opinion is much more valid and worth more just because you’re a famous YouTube star that made a lot of money from a franchise you just slagged.

The fact that Alex says, “And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do. Because it WAS bad television” is the reason this article got so much hate. He’s basically gone and said “Oh I’m so famous my opinions are like Gospel and anyone who disagrees with me has has no intelligence or standards whatsoever”.

That sentence was totally and completely unnecessary and uncalled for.

deathcorn

i agree, i have hated moffat from the start, im loyal to the end

…

Okay, good article on the whole. But, excuse me? The kind of people who compose gifs and write ‘omg the feels’ are exactly the kind of people who have also written detailed, in-depth criticism of that last episode. Longer and more detailed than this article, in some cases. No gratuitous fandom-bashing, please. We’ve heard it all before.

g

The things is that it’s the same people posting over and over. You can see that some people have just reposted older comments under different names to make it look like there are more people supporting alex then there actually are. Probably his fangirls trying to make him look better then he is. Also, people still seem to think this is about him not liking the epiosde – anyone whose actually read the article and the comments would know it has nothing to do with that so I can only assume these people saying ‘he’s allowed to not like the show’ haven’t actually bothered to read what alex wrote or any of the responses. This article went from being a waste of talent to a waste of time to a waste of human life. Let it die like it deserves and disappear into the obscurity with the rest of the trash on the internet that nobody cares about.

Underclass Underdog

So where’s your article then, genius?

molly

I am rather confused as to why most people feel hurt by what Alex said. The way I read it, he just said that he has high standards for the show and other people have ‘normal’ standards. Also, I am just making an assumption here, but I doubt that you know him personally so I don’t know how his comments could affect you on a personal level.
I happen to agree with everything he said, even finding some moments of the show cringeworthy (my opinion, don’t hate me)
I will continue to watch the series simply because I don’t trust my family to give me an accurate account of what happens, but if Alex trusts Charlie to do that for him, that’s great.
Maybe he will continue to watch it when he feels that it is as great as it used to be. The mind is fickle, we are only human after all.

Grey99

I agree with all of this, thank you for going out and actually pointing this out. Don’t listen to the haters I’ve been bashed for expressing my opinion too

Underclass Underdog

As have I. The fanbois are blindly ignorant.

Tim Bunting

“I think it’s ok that he was rude because I agree with him”. Am I meant to take this seriously? How has you agreeing with the points he made have anything to do with his attitude? Do these people not have two brain cells to rub together?>

Emma

Some excellent points being raised here. The thing about Moffat is that, although he has been offensive on a grand scale towards virtually everyone you’d care to name, the guy can string two sentences together pretty nicely. However, this last episode? Was simply badly written, through and through.
On the other hand, I can’t help but feel a little insulted by the reference to ‘fans who gobble up whatever they can gif and write ‘omg the feels’ tumblr posts about’. This episode was not well received by the Doctor Who fandom at large. Far more tumblr posts have been devoted to detailed analysis of why the most recent episode was both offensive and badly written than I could care to count. Let’s not pretend that the majority of fandom is inane and superficial for the sake of one cheap witticism, please.

Lewis

I agree that this article isn’t fair, because it isn’t, it’s just angry. I can’t say that I haven’t been enjoying Alex’s videos as much. I still think he’s a good vlogger, if very different from when he started. As for the music, it’s a central part of his life, so to not talk about it in videos is probably quite a challenge. But back to Doctor Who. I can see the holes he’s picking, but to sneer at Moffat so much is strange, considering the show has drastically improved since he took charge (in my humble opinion). My final point would be that Alex is not really showing much respect to the show that bought him a house. Oh, and to give up on Doctor Who altogether? Childish.

Bella

It’s funny how you criticize something after you have started your musical career launching an album about Doctor Who and the characters. You should at least give the rest of the season a chance, and then if you still don’t like the episodes then stop watching and stop writing songs and making even more money from using the Doctor Who brand.
Personally, I enjoyed the first episode, and while I agree with some of the points you made, the rest is a load of rubbish. And the fact that you say I have a lower standard of quality is utterly insulting. How dare you judge me and what I like? You don’t even know me.
I agree with Danny, one of the other commenters when he says that your videos have lacked quality recently. You spend the time telling people to buy your songs to make you more successful and say it’s so you can prove the record companies wrong, yeah right. Maybe it started off wanting to get the record companies back, but now its your greed for fame.
You need to learn to get more quality back into your videos before you criticize the writers of Doctor Who for the lack of quality in their first episode of the season.
And it’s pathetic that you now refuse to watch the rest of the season.
Have fun watching X Factor.

Andy

“It was, objectively, bad television. And if you disagree, I humbly
submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do.”

And that tells me everything I need to know about Alex Day: arrogant, condescending, and unworthy of future attention.

Kent

Pretty much. People have been telling me for a while to listen to his music. I’m glad I never bothered now.

Underclass Underdog

Problem is, your response tells me everything I need to know about the current set of brainless fans who blindly love this now mediocre show. Alex is spot on.

Helen

Hey guys, guess what! Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion! So Alex didn’t like the episode, what’s the big deal? It’s his opinion, and hes done nothing wrong in sharing it! I personally liked the episode, but I can still admit that Alex has made some really good points. So please, can we all just calm down and accept that a) Alex didn’t like the episode, and is tired of doctor who and b) that it’s perfectly OK for him to be, because it’s his opinion.

Louise

I don’t understand why anyone thinks this has anything to do with Alex not liking the episode. People complain and criticise shows all the time on the net, and even as a fan of Alex I recognise that in the grand scheme of things his opinion isn’t going to matter to a whole bunch of people. So why does it matter that one guy with a small fan base doesn’t like an episode? It doesn’t. That’s not the issue here. The issue is that he unjustly insulted his fans, the fanbase of the show that made him famous and really anyone who doesn’t agree with him. As someone who respects (a little less now) Alex it is upsetting and disappointing to see him behave in such a way for no other reason then to be harsh, to big himself up or cause trouble. It’s one thing to poke fun at the mindless teens who swallow down bile like Twilight, but insulting the intelligence of people just because they don’t have the same view as you is arrogant and narrow minded – something I never thought Alex was. It doesn’t matter how much I love Alex, this wasn’t ok and I seriously question anyone who says it is.

Rayna

I completely agree; however, I don’t think one lousy episode is reason enough to stop watching the show altogether. There have always been bad episodes of Doctor Who, but the stupidity of this one gives me hope that the rest of the season might be a lot better. I think Moffat was just unsuccessfully trying to write an exposition that catches everyone up with the story so that he can move on to create better, smarter episodes.

Underclass Underdog

They’ve all been lousy under Moff, with the exception of Doctor’s Wife, and even that was hyped beyond all proportion.

Heather

Okay, I’m not going to dog on you Alex. I’m still going to be subscribed to your channel. I wont unsubscribe because I do not like your opinion nor because you are excited about your music career.

You had some small points in there that I agree with but I feel that you have written a very bias article. I know it is impossible to write something without some sort of bias in there, but your article did not look at any other viewpoints apart from your initial reaction to the episode.

I disagree with a lot what you said. My disagreement is not because I liked the episode and am okay with Moffat’s style. I disagree with a lot of what you said because you looked at the episode through the lenses of “it’s going to suck because Moffat wrote it”. I have studied communication theory, television, theatre, etc… That is my major. I have been forced to review and judge media so many times that it is ingrained into my skull forever and I can’t yank it out to enjoy some crap telly.. I have extremely, unrealistically high standards for television. I do not think it was bad television. Sure it wasn’t the best episode I’ve seen of the series. But it was decent opener.
If I had time I would go through and nit-pick at what you said and give you my returning arguments. But I’ll just stop because I doubt you read these or even care because your personality is one that will not budge once you’ve come up with an opinion.

morgan

“Asylum” really wasn’t as good as it should have been. You made really valid points about some things, but a few notes.
The only time Rory has seen the daleks was in the “Big Bang” I believe. We haven’t seen any daleks since the reboot with the color daleks in “Victory” so I don’t think he knows they say exterminate. So when he sees a creature that is chained and most likely insane or ill saying eggs….he’s looking around trying to figure out what eggs he is talking about.

They did show some of the color daleks, albeit briefly.

Questions that do confuse me. (and maybe someone here can help explain them)

full conversion shouldn’t have happened that way, although its really sad. if it had then why weren’t they going to do a full conversion on Amy? She has knowledge of time and space and time lords….the dalek’s enemy. So confused there.

the whole bracelet to protect against the nano genes. If the Doctor didn’t need his, why let Amy start to convert anyways? Just so Rory and her can realize their love again? There are other ways to do that…. just saying. It is probably more of a hassle to try and take care of Amy than to just let her wear his bracelet….

THE BIGGEST QUESTION OF ALL: WHY DO THE DALEKS KNOW THAT THE DOCTOR IS ALIVE? I thought we established that the universe thinks he is dead….. except the daleks? plus where did the daleks even come from? Even if the colorful daleks went out to create a new race, why is there an asylum….and why is it on skaro? Isn’t that trapped in the time war…… i could be confused though

Rose

I am sorry to say Alex that i am one of those people who have as you said “low viewing standards”. It is alright to have an opinion, and to express them but it is darn rude to say that people with the opposite opinion have lower standards than you.
Also you can’t decide that a whole sason of doctor who is rubbish from one episode. I would at lease wait until the end of the season…BUT THEN AGAIN THAT IS MY OPINION. See its easy to say what i feel without rubbishing everyone else’s feelings.
Also its a bit weird how you are rubbishing doctor who when most of your income comes from it…I am very sorry Alex that Moffat, the person who wrote what you based your music on, has disappointed you.
You see i used to be part of the Nermyarmy but a couple of months ago i decided that i didn’t like your video styles anymore. So i unsubscribed… Now that was my opinion; i didnt’ go and comment on your videos saying how rubbish you were.
Have you ever heard the saying ‘if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all’.
I enjoyed asylum of the daleks without wrighting ‘the feels’ on tumblr… Sorry about that.

Underclass Underdog

Just to clarify, I believe Alex was pointing out that ALL episodes under Moff are of a deteriorating quality, but Alex decided to stick with it out of loyalty, just as I have done, until we can simply no longer overlook the obvious. WHO sucks now.

El

Can I be the first to say that, although a big fan, I stopped watching Doctor Who a while back simply because I didn’t think it offered anything knew. Alex Day, on the other hand, is always changing. This, people, is because, like us, he is human. So what if he doesn’t still write loads of songs with his Doctor Who Band? He’s moved on, talking about things that interest him NOW. People who unsubscribe – fair enough. You have an opinion that obviously clashes with his. He’s simply just talking about what he thinks about certain things and if you don’t like what he says, then don’t watch. For those of us who STILL find him entertaining, we enjoy hearing what Alex has to say without lots of others complaining.
So thanks Alex – keep doing what you’re doing

Lucy11iom

Honestly I have been a supporter of Alex for a long time, I bought all his music I participated in forever day… the lot but I think it’s high time he remembers who his fans are. The tumblr crowd who he so freely mocks here make up a huge part of his fan base. We’ve all gone out of our way time and time again to support him, bought stupid remixes of the same song and been patient as he flogs stuff time and time again.

Apart from that he needs to stop saying “objectively” when every single point he made was subjective. With Rory there are lots of reasons he might say “I know” and you have to remember that they were in mortal peral. He might not have known about what they did to Amy on Demons Run… he might just have guessed that she can’t have kids because she hadn’t had kids. As for River already being there child… you seem to have failed to notice that they didn’t get her back. For God’s sake think what that will have done to them, think of the guilt and the feeling of helplessness.

Overall this review was bitchy, clearly rushed and very obnoxious. I’d like to you write a better family sci-fi show before you slag everyone off. Please try to remember 1) that Doctor Who is meant to be fun and 2) who your fans and supporters are.

Underclass Underdog

Just because he dared to criticise, rightfully so, Dr Who? How pathetic. You are a prime example of the mentality of so-called WHO fans, these days, a gormless idiot who renounces anybody who as the slightest inkling to criticise this train wreck of a once great show.

Jasmine

I agree with some points in this article but the going off a programme because of one episode is quite frankly ridiculous – and I am prepared to bet it is all an attention seeking lie.

I am not going to unsubscribe, but his videos are becoming very boring and all he seems to do is act like David Brent and act lewd. I’M WANKING – HOW OUTRAGEOUS AM I? This act also makes him appear on camera to be as 2D as (supposedly) the characters on Dr. Who

Also just because he likes something different doesn’t mean he has to insult everyone who likes it – It is not a wise move when his job is largely funded by big Dr. Who fans. I think his music is bad but when he posts a music video I just don’t watch it. I do not go on just to dislike and insult anyone that likes it because I understand people have DIFFERENT OPINIONS

Lastly, and because I have to: Objectively???? It’s pretty damn obvious people have different opinions so used the right word for the love of God. SUBJECTIVELY. Had you used that people might not resent you so much because the way you’ve done it makes you come across as a right and royal cocky arse who thinks he is better than he actually is

Underclass Underdog

It’s not just because of one episode. It’s due to the declining quality since the first episode of SmiffMoffs tenure

http://twitter.com/Whovian_24 David Arthur Bisset

So any one who does not agree with you has quote ‘lower standards of quality’ end quote… I’m sorry I’m stopped reading after that, because that one line was the most pig headed thing I’ve ever read.

Luke

Ok, I’m not a huge fan of Alex Day, only seen a few of his vids, his music is ok if you like that sort of thing. But when did he become a journalist? Since when did making videos for tween girls and joking about his penis make him qualified to write articles? Couldn’t this site get someone better? I’m sorry I don’t know how I can possibly take him seriously as a writer because he isn’t one. I don’t even care that he insulted a bunch of people or doesn’t like Doctor Who because he shouldn’t be in a position to even be writing like he knows what he’s talking about. I can only assume that he wasn’t making enough money from his music and someone at leaky was desperate to draw in some attention because I can’t contemplate the logic behind hiring him to do a job he clearly isn’t cut out to do. Sorry Alex, I have no real personal opinion of you, but you’re not a talented writer and you don’t have the thoughtfulness it takes to be a critic. You are a musician, stick to what you’re good at mate.

Annie

‘good at’ is a strong term to throw around in regards to Alex’s music

Ellie

I don’t like the new seasons of Doctor Who myself either, really – but this was a really shitty article for a number of reasons, and attacking your fanbase is a really dumb thing to do. I don’t know if you realise how many of your fans are Doctor Who fans (thanks to Chameleon Circuit) or own a tumblr but I would hazard a guess at quite a lot, and alienating a significant portion of these seems a little odd to me, considering you still boast about having a 500,000 viewership on youtube while your most recent videos are pulling in, at most, around 200,000 views, from what I can see. I haven’t unsubscribed from you because your videos are still reasonably entertaining, and like I said I don’t enjoy the recent Doctor Who series either so this is not a reply from a wounded fan, just an observation. I would never try to stop you from having opinions on the internet, and the opinion behind this article is not my problem with it – it’s the intentionally aggressive, haughty tone, and the fact that you decided to be a complete dick to anyone who DARED have a different opinion on the episode to you or who likes a website that you think is silly. I doubt you’ll reply to this but just in case you manage to pull your head out of your own arse for a second I hope you can read it and try to act a little more compassionately in the future, and only voice your complaints about a disappointing tv show rather than its perfectly innocent fans.

http://fandomania.com/ Celeste

THANK YOU. I agree 100% with this post. It’s amazing to me how many fans think it’s some kind of betrayal to criticize the thing you’re a fan of (or were, in this case). It’s like they’re afraid to admit something they like could have a flaw. I still love the idea of Doctor Who, but I don’t feel like that’s what I’m watching anymore so I, too, am strongly considering giving up on the show till he’s gone.

g

1) that’s not what this is about
2) nobody cares
3) don’t let the fandom door hit you on the way out

http://fandomania.com/ Celeste

Ah, a prime example of exactly what I was talking about.

Underclass Underdog

Couldn’t agree more. All these so called fans are terrified to admit our show as gone tits up since the Muff took over.

Sara

I agree with a lot of what Danny said, but I still watch your videos (they are lovely) but I want to talk about your review, not the quality of videos. I enjoyed seeing another persons opinion even if opposing, but I felt oddly insulted while reading it, you kind of were a bit arrogant in explaining your opinion. You treated it as if your opinion was a fact, and anyone who sees otherwise is wrong. Don’t give up on the show alex, I have felt this way before, but give it another chance before giving up.
Yours truly,
sara

Steveo

Agreed, except: Daleks have been able to turn people into Daleks for some time. That was where all the Daleks in “Parting of the Ways” (except the Emperor) came from: all of those poor reality show victims.

Zacissocoollike

Look, “Danny”, he is simply giving his opinions to anyone who wants to read it. If he said all of this merely to Charlie it would be no different. He is writing this on a website and suddenly it’s the “word of god”? If you feel this way then why are you hating in the comments? He’s written his opinion on a website, you’ve written yours. You are contradicting yourself by saying that you didn’t post a long article like Alex because now you have. It’s his opinion, let him have it.

Ellie

I agree with you so flipping much. I don’t understand why some people are giving you so much grief for writing this.

All women in Doctor Who basically being the same is getting so tiresome. See also: Irene Adler.

http://twitter.com/oppartunities chloe kent

wow how dare alex not enjoy a frankly poor episode of doctor who, a show he is evidently a big fan of, and feel let down, how fucking dare he.

g

how dare he think that just because he doesn’t like something that makes anyone who did like it tasteless and uneducated, how fucking dare he.

Katrina

How dare he insult his fans?

bob

Nobody cares that he didn’t like the episode he’s entitled to his opinion but he didn’t need to be a dick about it.

Annie

you must be new.

peacock345

How dare a talentless child think that just because he has a few fans that gives him the right to speak on behalf of people who are more qualified to give their opinions?

http://twitter.com/oppartunities chloe kent

please calm down i didn’t realise you needed to be qualified to have opinions

James

Usually to be taken seriously as a writer you should be qualified and not have the logic range of a grumpy toddler.

lexdysic

HERE COMES THE OPINION QUALITY CERTIFICATION LEAGUE, MOTHER FUCKER

Gizmo

alex is really skinny i reckon he has a small dick

Jaime

stfu

Gizmo

he is really skinny though i mean guys who are skinny usually have small dicks

kianna

@gizmo you have a different opinion but there is no need to be rude

Gizmo

i mean what if he had a really small dick but like a giant ballsack

http://alexdaymusic.com Alex

Are you both the same person? Are you just arguing with yourself?

Kent

Think you need to refresh mate.

Gizmo

a giant veiny ballsack with a mini baby penis

Gizmo

maybe he is so frustrated because of his small dick

Gizmo

alex ‘baby penis’ day has a nice ring to it

avid fan

If you’re going to watch Alex’s videos then do so. If you’re going to watch Doctor Who then do so also. Don’t let one persons opinion get you down.

SarahRoseLava

Surely all the people saying ‘you’re a proper dick for saying this stuff, I’m unsubscribing even though this isn’t even about your YouTube videos’ is just as bad as Alex saying ‘I didn’t like the episode’? I loved the episode and I think this article’s hilarious! It’s an opinion piece, these things need to be taken with a pinch of salt because they are OPINIONS. Not facts. Alex saying ‘you probably have lower standards than me’ isn’t insulting to me, to be honest he’s right, I’ll watch any old shite.

Lots of people are slagging him off for his criticism of the show when he’s in a band devoted to playing music ABOUT the show, but Chameleon Circuit is enjoyed by just as many non-Who fans. I think it’s unfair to accuse him. Although I know Alex is a sensible and mature guy and will be taking every criticism fairly and without any bad feelings, I think regardless that some stuff being said about him is pretty mean.

Some people agree, some people don’t. let it go guys. If everyone agreed with each other the world would be proper dull.

https://twitter.com/#!/srslywhitebread Corey Grandy

Whether people agree or not (and in almost all ways ways, I do) with what you’ve said here, I really don’t think anybody has the right to rip so hard into you because of your opinion on a single episode of a single television show.

That said, I’m not fond of how you are keen to say that it WAS objectively bad television in the article but defend it as opinion afterward. It was subjectively bad in your (and my) opinion(s).

Still, you have a right to say whatever you want and people are taking this way too far. Still subscribed, still value your opinion, no change here.

Charley

For those who are criticizing Alex’s videos and saying that he has changed a lot, well, of course he has! Everyone does, people change all the time. Whether or not you like Alex latest videos, you can’t deny that he clearly still puts time and effort into them. Not only that, but he also puts a lot of work into making his music, so forgive him for wanting to showcase work he’s done that he’s proud of. He may talk about music in a lot of his videos, but that’s because it seems to be a huge part of his life, and I personally still find his videos enjoyable. His dislike of a doctor who episode is not a reason to unsubscribe.

http://twitter.com/sonnetstockmar Sonnet

What surprises me is that it took you this long to get this annoyed with Moffat.

Sarah

Alex I don’t mind that you have your opinions – some of your points are valid. Some aren’t, but I won’t go into that. It seemed that half of the episode you didn’t get the point of it. What annoys me more than anything is that you’re generalising that the episode has been written for these particular types of fans. My Dad has been watching the show since the 1960s and he enjoyed the episode. No he isn’t the type of person to go “OHMYGOD THE FEELS”. I’m not going to unsubscribe from you, because that isn’t a reason to. But I find the way you’re doing this a bit attention seeking and ridiculous.

caitlin shipley

i agree with you alex! its about time people stopped hyping this show. I think people are in denial over doctor who they want to believe its still good but deep down they know its not what it used to be

g

just curious when did you start watching doctor who?

Caroline

Well I haven’t watched the new episode of Doctor Who so I can’t have too much of an opinion but whatever. I don’t really care about the Matt Smith series to be honest. It took me 3 months after the last season for me to watch the last few episodes.
I just wanted to put out that so many things are changing in TV series, to rather big extremes maybe for a reason. I think these people realize that people don’t really watch to much TV anymore so they need to make outrageous episodes to try and get people’s attention again. However that is just an idea that I had about 2 minutes ago, who knows.
Alex you are more than welcome to any opinion that you want, and so is everyone else in this world. My opinion of you hasn’t changed since I found you a year ago, you are a funny person who makes music that isn’t so bad.
So, that is really all that I wanted to put out there. Not that important but whatever. Just felt like throwing that out there.

Johanna

I personaly liked the episode. Didn’t love it, but it wasn’t awful (in my opinion). & although I don’t share Aex’s opinion I still found that he brought up some good points. So what if his tone was a bit brusque? Thats his style, thats what made this article humorous & worth reading. It’s a shame that people are getting so upset over something which really doesn’t affect them in anyway..

Rebecca

I’m quite surprised about some of the strong replies to this article. In my humble opinion the responses and subsequent arguments about Alex’s YouTube career seem a little irrelevant to me, when the initial article is an opinion of one episode of a TV programe. So anyway, as someone who’s just interested in seeing what other people thought of the episode I thought I’d just share a few of my thoughts if anyone’s interested and just actually wants to talk about the show..
I personally love Doctor Who, however I don’t let my love for the show cloud my judgement when I’m watching it! Just because I like it does not mean other people are ‘not allowed’ to criticise it – it doesn’t mean ‘Doctor Who-can-do-no-wrong-it’s-amazing-in-every-way’. It’s not perfect. When the writers get it right, it’s brilliant, however I accept that when they get it wrong the results aren’t always great. Sometimes people are too eager to aggressively ‘defend’ shows and other things they love without stopping to consider whether a criticism is actually justified.
On the whole I enjoyed Saturday’s episode, however there were some parts of it that just didn’t sit well with me, which Alex has actually pin-pointed quite well for me in some parts of the article.
1) Oswin’s similarity to Amy – I couldn’t help noticing this and being a bit disappointed by it. Also her apparant ‘genius’ bothered me a bit too. The Doctor is a ‘genius’, and I’m not sure if having 2 of them will make for a good Doctor-companion relationship (since usually the function of the companion is to provide some relief, and a different perspective, from the Doctor’s intense intellect). I mean, for example imagine a Sherlock-and-Watson where Watson was just as much of a genius as Sherlock – it just wouldn’t work!
2) Whilst watching I didn’t really think about it, but yes, Amy and Rory do already have a daughter – albeit not a particularly conventional human one. So in hindsight this is a bit odd.
3) I really liked the transition from ‘eggs’ to ‘exterminate’ with Oswin, but it would have had more of an impact and been better if it hadn’t already been done earlier on in the show with Rory for a simple comedy effect.
4) Again, something I hadn’t given much thought to but yes, the Doctor popping up and reintroducing himself to the Daleks does seem a bit silly in hindsight.
5) One particular point I did agree quite strongly with was the Doctor’s behaviour at the end, jumping around shouting ‘Doctor Who!’ It saddened me a bit, because to me it did come across as self-indulgent and arrogant. I almost felt a bit embarassed for him – the Doctor’s better than that.
One bit I thought was done particularly well was the way they cut between Oswin’s voice/face and her real external Dalek voice when the Doctor was confronting her with reality. It was quite striking to hear emotional human feelings, words and cadences (even the odd bit of crying) in the cold whiny voice of the Daleks. Overall I do agree that the episode was lacking, and played with ideas that have been done repeatedly – it’s time for something new and imaginitive, which the show’s writers are certainly capable of! I haven’t given up though, I will watch the rest of the series and hope it gets better. So there you go, just a few relevant thoughts

http://twitter.com/LilyBee22 Lily Backler

Your points are valid Alex, and I agree with some of them. But not quite in the way you do? You just seemed a bit mean. I really enjoyed the episode. As in I’ve watched it 5 times already. But now you’ve pointed out everything that’s wrong with it and the rest of the past series, I kinda feel disheartened.
That doesn’t mean I won’t watch or unsubscribe, and I still love your music. It’s just..I dunno..I guess I’ll admit I felt a little disappointed that a part of the reason I like Doctor Who so much, doesn’t really anymore.
It just seems like every little thing you’ve ever hated about Doctor Who has come out in this article, which has made everyone think you are ridiculously picky, and hate Doctor Who a lot more than you probably do.

Underclass Underdog

So it’s ok for him to mean to Twilight but if it’s your show he’s dissing on, you lynch the guy?

http://www.facebook.com/captaindevil Luke Palmer

I agree with everything you just said. I now like you! Thank you! Also WHERE were the big classic Dalek roles!?

Kmam

Alex, I completely agreed with your article. In fact I would go further and call the episode self indulgent drivel, with the writers finally buying into the hype that has surrounded Doctor Who since it became a hit in America. For me the worst bit was the look Oswin gives to the camera at the end- they might as well of had Stephen Moffat walk onto the set whilst patting himself on the back saying ‘well done me, she appeared 4 months early’. Furthermore, I thought the character of Oswin was ridiculous, as was the ‘she is a dalek’ twist, which didn’t make any sense- how could they hear her human voice for the entire show? If Oswin and Clara do end up being the same character I think next season will be one to miss!

Of course this is only my opinion- I am sure you logical lot out there will read this and acknowledge this is what someone thought and then go on with your day. I am absolutely positive, my views on the episode will not affect your views or your future enjoyment of the Doctor Who franchise. Since I am going to assume everyone on this site are intelligent, logical people, I am a little bit confused by the vitriol some of you are directing Alex’s way. He only stated his opinion and as a vlogger who made his name stating his opinions on various things, I would say this is quite typical of what most people have come to expect from Alex Day.

The only conclusion I can come to is that some of you on this website are the type of Doctor Who fans who like the show regardless of whether it is good or not. For me, it is these type of fans that are ruining Doctor Who. So long as there are people who will defend poor television to the point of being nasty about other peoples opinions, the writers and producers will never see a reason to improve their work as they have a captive audience that they can continue to feed poor writing to- Oswin being a prime example.

Underclass Underdog

Amen, bro

Mariah

When I watched Asylum of the Daleks I enjoyed it for the most part. By the middle of it I found myself not enjoying it as I had with other DW episodes, but I still liked it. So in the sense I guess my standards are lower than Alex’s. However, I don’t think Alex saying this was a bad thing because it’s true and I don’t mind admitting it. I enjoy lots movies I watch because I don’t always pay attention or care enough to notice finer flaws, but that’s just me. (The only movies/tv shows I fully pay attention to and constructively criticize are ones I expect to good. With DW I knew lots of people were disappointed with the last series so I didn’t have my expectations as high as they would usually be). If anything, this opinion piece just opened my eyes to the faults in the episode which I hadn’t noticed. I still like the episode, but it wasn’t the best. I don’t feel insulted in away way by Alex because he simply hasn’t said anything insulting. He never directly criticized anyone for their opinions and so you shouldn’t do that to him. But the thing you should really remember is that this is just an opinion piece. It’s not a formal, serious critic’s piece so don’t take it so seriously! And for those of you who unsubscribed to Alex because of his opinion on a TV show, well, that’s just stupid! You should unsubscribe because you no longer enjoy his videos, not for something as silly as this! I still like Alex’s videos but you’re allowed to disagree with me. There are worse opinions on the internet than Alex’s, like people who blindly hate on things. At least Alex has reasons for everything he has said. And it was just a funny article to read

Aifos

Woahh people calm down!! So Alex writes an article about how he didnt like Doctor Who (although he was a bit mean to Moffat ) and now everyones unsubscribing! That’s what he’s like in his videos – a bit rude and very honest. However, I find him hilarious and still is one of my favourite youtubers. Tbh I enjoyed the doctor who, although I didnt like Oswin.

I think everyone’s overreacting to the max! Think of his recent videos, like The Woman at Reception! Personally that was one of my favourites of his – yes he is changing but every other youtuber is as well. It means he’s finding a method of vlogging that suits him!

People, unsubscribe if you want, but i dont think you should base your unsubscription on an article about Doctor Who!

Jasmin

Wow. The reaction that Alex has received for this for this
article is shocking; people are now just making personal and irrelevant
attacks. Plus Doctor Who is aired on a channel which is funded by the public
via tv licence, and so is required to be of a high standard…Alex’s youtube
channel is something which is directed at a [relatively] small and niche
audience.

It is a fact that Moffat has become an increasingly bad writer, Doctor Who of
late and even some Sherlock are shining examples of this. THIS DOES NOT MEAN
YOU CANNOT ENJOY WATCHING DOCTOR WHO, I ENJOY LISTENING TO SOME ‘FLAWED’ MUSIC;
JUST BECAUSE IT ISN’T AS GOOD AS THE WORK OF A WORLD CLASS COMPOSER DOESN’T
MEAN IT WON’T BE ENJOYABLE. UNDERSTAND?

However, Moffat does write female characters terribly. He
went with the very typical, overused, and never rightly handled, topic female
infertility; Amy cannot have children therefore she is not a real woman and
does not think herself good enough for Rory (despite the fact they’ve already [technically]
had a child together). Which, as already said, was brushed under the carpet
like it was nothing which was topped off with Rory just childishly celebrated
getting back with her….forgetting the fact that the character was not coping
with the fact emotionally? Nice.

Then we have Oswin, I can just imagine how that came about “ooh let’s get
all the sexy women, clever ones ooh, and a bit cheeky with the doctor
teehee”, grow up Moffat. I can’t even be bothered to argue that one.

All of the last series was essentially Moffat screaming “watch this! look
at me! there’s a big surprise coming!” but with Moffat there never is, his
writing craves attention, yet we wait and wait only to be met with the greatest
anti-climax’s. Remember “Doctor Who??” all through the last series?
Boring, and disappointing. Only for us to have to hear how many times he could
fit in the show’s title on the last few minutes of ‘Asylum of the Daleks’, due
to a very stupid move from the Doctor. You might say that this was the Doctor
being a funny wind-up merchant that we all love, but in doing this he was
putting himself, his friends, and whole species’ in danger in the future,
surely? Not being remembered by the Daleks could be a huge advantage.

I won’t go on any longer, but it is true that we just witnessed a very flawed
episode – flawed in the facts and realism of the show, not just not meeting
personal preference – so as somebody who requires high standards, Alex (and
myself, and many others I know of) felt let down by it, but by no means does
that mean is wasn’t an episode people of all ages would like watching.

Underdog

Don’t forget Matt’s horse-sized chin:)

Underdog

Don’t forget Matt’s horse-sized chin:)

Linda

Alex, it’s good that you have opinions. And everyone is entitled to them. Yet there is things you don’t need to say. Some smart poet once said “In the arts everything is allowed but everything is not necessary”. Fine, you have an opinion and a need to express it, and I think it’s great that you do it but then again, was it necessary to just blurt out stuff like that? And assume everybody hated it? I liked Asylum of the Daleks. I’m sure other people did too. The way you wrote your article made me feel stupid for liking the episode. Having some arrogant prick bash a show I like made me feel bad. There was a part that made me a bit angry as well. You wrote and I quote “And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just have lower standards of quality than I do”. What the hell do you know about my “standards of quality”? Because somebody enjoyed the episode they have lower standards of quality than you? Do you mean your standards are the supreme and the people liked the episode are some peasants who can’t think for themselves?
I’m not saying everything you said was entirely wrong, I’m just saying this article was full of opinions you could have chosen to keep to yourself. There is always that option. I could have kept my opinions on your opinions to myself, but there is criticism and then there is just being mean. You were sort of mean, Alex. Did you need to be that?

Helena

I watched this episode after I’d read this article, and so maybe I went in to it with really low expectations anyway, but I agree with everything you said. Moffat is just repeating the same characters and the same lines, and another thing I really hate is that I feel like he’s just downplaying the villans and monsters. The daleks didn’t feel scary in this episode, and in ‘Closing Time’ last series, the cybermen were just a backstory and were so easily defeated. I just find it really irritating that Steven Moffat can write brilliant TV like Sherlock, but all his recent doctor who has been really disappointing.

Ruthy396

I don’t understand why people are giving Alex so much grief about this. Sure you may not agree with his opinion but there’s no need for some of these comments.

Personally I love Doctor Who and the sentimental value the program has for me and my family will far outweigh any dodgy plot lines and predictable characters. Despite this, Alex has a point that I agree with and what is it to everyone else if they don’t like it?

At the end of the day, it is just a program, a program that Alex didn’t really like. Read the article and move on with your life, surely you have more important things to do than attacking someone purely for their opinion?

Ps.Alex can put whatever the hell he likes in his videos. I’d like to see half of you be as successful as he’s become.

http://www.facebook.com/emma.bellar Oceana Hope

Wow. I liked it but i see your point of view. Always nice to have a new perspective

Rhianne

I think everyone’s taking this way too far. First off, Alex’s opinion on tv does in no way reflect his music. Love it or hate it, you shouldn’t change your mind how you feel about it just because of something he wrote.
Personally, I agree that this episode wasn’t the greatest, but as a writer I can sympathize with the fact that it’s difficult to produce something brilliant every single time. Just because one episode is not up to scratch I don’t think you should write off an entire show just because of it. Maybe give it another chance, Alex, and if it doesn’t get better then you’re completely justified. But sometimes writers have an off day, you must be able to appreciate that: it happens to the best of us!
For the people saying that Alex has ‘sold out’ or is just doing things for the money and not for his fans take a look at the god knows how many personalised videos he sent out. That’s dedication. He’s still making things because he wants people to like them, not because he wants to get paid.
So in contrast to most people on here it seems, consider yourself STILL SUBSCRIBED TO, Alex, because your view on one thing in life isn’t going to change my opinion of you as a person. Seriously people, it’s just a tv show, it’s not as though he’s publishing a blog about how he thinks Hitler had the right idea.
For all you know, there could be hundreds of bloggers out there all writing a similar opinion. You don’t take it out on them because you don’t know.
But really, stop taking it out on his music and him in general. It’s one opinion. Don’t like it? Nobody’s forcing you to agree. There’s no need to berate him because he thinks differently to you

http://twitter.com/sophusfacething Sophus Kenwin

I’m glad I’m not the only one that disliked it. I plan to keep watching to see if the next one is better, but I was not impressed with ‘Asylum of the Daleks’ either.
I think that everyone is taking Alex’s opinions as personal insults to them. Just because he doesn’t like it that doesn’t mean that you’re wrong to or that you have the right to attack him for voicing his opinions. He’s not forcing them on you, it has been posted here, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. Simple.
My guess is that the reason that people are taking this so badly is that the opinions in the article are voiced with passion which has only been born out of previous love for the series. It’s not as if he has only watched the one episode and then decided to hate on it, it’s merely a judgement on the continuity and the quality of the episode which, in my opinion, are all fair points. If others enjoy it then that’s great, that’s what the show is there for, but people also have the right to dislike it and shouldn’t be shunned for it. There’s no point in pretending to enjoy something just because it’s a popular show and you have a public history of enjoying it.

Julia

The fangirls are just getting pissy because they’re ~outraged that people actually dared to question his opinion rather then follow blindly to everything he says. No not everyone agrees with your little wannabe boyfriend, big deal. Telling people to let you have your opinion is hypocritical if you can’t let them have theirs. If you can’t handle that because it hurts your delicate ~feelings then go away.

ryte

yea he said he was ok with people disagreeing in fact he welcomed it but i guess these girls dont like the idea of anyone disagreeing with him lol

sotrue

That’s what annoys me too. Alex invited people to disagree with him but then when they do he gets all offended about it. If he doesn’t want people being a dick to him he shouldn’t be a dick to them, and if he can’t handle other people’s opinions then he shouldn’t give his out so freely.

ChrisPine

Well said. His outbursts on twitter were so childish. What did you expect Alex?

sotrue

I doubt he actually expected anyone to disagree with him. That’s how big his ego has gotten.

Elisabeth

You’re a bit of a quitter, Alex, giving up on Doctor Who because of one bad episode. One bad episode and you give up on a show that has so much impact on your life. That is sad to hear. I thought so much more of you. You think what you want and I think what I want about the episode but you kind of insult the people who liked it and I find that to be offensive. Say what you want about the episode but leave the people enjoy Doctor Who out of it.

Inderdog

That’s the problem, it’s not just one bad episode, it’s a whole host of bad seasons sibce Muff took over

MrMayor

When this exchange happened between Rory and new(not-so-new) girl happened:
“Take off your shirt”
“Why?”
“Does their need to be a reason?”

I wanted to vomit all over my TV.

That line was written in to be a tumblr gif.

Beth.

^SAME.

Beth.

I’m just going to invalidate all of the stupid negative comments with three simple points:
One, people have opinions and sometimes they’re not the same as yours, other times, they’re the exact opposite. Deal with it, you lot. This is the internet and it’s full of opinions that you aren’t always going to like. If you can’t handle it, close out of it forever and go cry in a pile of cats.
Secondly, can none of you understand the English language? Alex didn’t put down anyone who liked the episode. The whole, “And if you disagree, I humbly submit that you just ave lower standards of quality than I do” isn’t him bashing any of us who liked it, he’s simply stating that it wasn’t up to his standards (which are, I assume, incredibly high and there is nothing wrong with that) and he didn’t like it, So if you liked it, the fact of that matter is your standards are lower than Alex’s. But that’s not a bad thing! Maybe Alex’s standards are too high and therefore are unrealistic. Who knows or cares? I’m not Alex, you’re not Alex, and Alex who is Alex probably does not give a fuck about your standards in all reality because he has his own so why would be bother? All that is being said is that Alex and a lot of us have different standards in quality which is not the end of the world or reason to basically start a comment mob.
Lastly, did any of you stop and think maybe Alex didn’t like the sixth series of Doctor Who and that he’s not just giving up after one episode? Because as someone who wasn’t totally thrilled with that series, I can kind of understand. Am I going to give up on Doctor Who? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t sympathize with Alex here.
The moral of this comment novel is just use your fucking heads before you go all out attacking someone for having an opinion or just being different than you. This isn’t 1790, kids, people are allowed to be different and have opinions. Now let’s all have a group hug and apologize for being asshats to one another and learn from this so that we’re all better people and not dicks.

Beth

go fuck yourself

Beth

Grow up.

Beth

fuck you

Guest

You forgot to change your name before insulting yourself.
What were you seeking to gain from that little endeavor?

Guest

You basically said everything I think about all of this! People need to stop taking one opinion as a direct insult

http://www.facebook.com/joel.burrows3 Joel Burrows

Dangerous move Alex Day; telling Dr Who fans that Dr Who sucks is like telling them that you think their best-friend is ugly. Of course they will (And have) attack you about how the article was written, your music career, and your YouTube content. You just gave their “Best-friend” an ultimatum and that a) Pisses them off and b) maybe makes feels them that your trying invalidate their love of the show, so they have come after you with everything they have got.

I agree with everything Alex said about the episode. I’m not giving up watching it, but I was certainly disappointed. I too tend to have rather high standards when it comes to these things, which doesn’t mean I’m better, it just means I’m more picky. I think people in the comments need to stop being so sensitive and taking it so personally. If you’d bothered to give it a second thought you would have realized it wasn’t an insult, just an observation. It’s good to remember that just because you like something doesn’t mean it’s good, it just means it makes you happy, and that’s fine.

http://www.facebook.com/ryan.byrne.714 Ryan Byrne

Jesus Christ people get some objectivity. If you don’t agree with this what the fuck has that got to do with his other works? I like his videos so I watch his videos, if you don’t like them don’t watch them. Quit acting like your being intentionally victimised all he is a doing is voicing an opinion and its an opinion many people share.

Zachary P.

This is funny. When Alex mocks the standards of people who read Twilight and calls the book objectively bad, you love every bit of it. But when he mocks YOUR standards and calls YOUR show objectively bad, you’re up in arms.

Josh

There’s a difference. He never said “I have a better judgement on this than you” or insulted twilight fans. That was a video for comedy. Journalisim is different. Especially reviews. You must be opinionated, not vicious. That what Alex was, vicious. If you disagree with me, you have lower standards than me. Ring any bells?

Elizabeth

Everybody calm down, it’s just his opinion… He’s not went out of his way to personally insult you or anything, he’s just done an article about the new episode of Doctor Who and what he thinks of it. You’re all over-reacting a bit I think, calm your farm people! If anything, discuss the actual ARTICLE not the AUTHOR!

IAmTheBombDiggity

All you negative Nancy’s, stop being such twats. Alex is aloud to have his own opinions as are all of you. You’re mad at him for harshly judging Doctor Who? Well damn your a hypocrite because you’re harshly judging his own harsh opinion. Stop ganging up on him and do something meaningful with your lives, like get some fresh air and smell the roses! Instead of wasting negative energy on something that doesn’t even matter that much. Oh and by the way? I agree with Alex! Honestly ever since David Tennant’s season and its increasing popularity in the media, the show has slowly lost its substance. That’s me divulging my thoughts, hopefully I don’t get shot for sharing it.

http://www.facebook.com/ellie.rolfe.52 Ellie Rolfe

Just gunna throw it out there and say I actually agree..with pretty much all of this and I really don’t understand why people are making such a huge fuss over it. Half of you are claiming to be fans of Alex, if so you know what he’s like, I mean come on, he’s known on youtube for being the sarcastic British guy! A lot of people are upset about how much Dr Who has changed, to me its turning into a kiddies tv show…WE WILL REPEAT EVERYTHING A MILLION TIMES SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE MORALS! but yeah, I really don’t see the problem with this article :’)

Bianca

I agree.
Doctor Who could, and has been better.

That’s my view point, and we all have a say on our opinion.
Mine happens to be the same as yours.

http://twitter.com/xhelen_leechx Helen Marie Leech

i totally agree with Alex! the new episode of doctor who was a big disappointment! it’s even worse then the last season with the really complicated story-line! but i did think the new episode was funny which made it a bit better.
and to all the haters everyone has the right to say their opinion! and if you don’t like that opinion then why did you carry on reading it? if you didn’t like what he was saying you could have just stopped reading it’s not that hard! and why are you all overreactiong by unsubscribing to him? thats a bit immature don’t you think?

zoe11

people should stop taking this article so personally. Although Alex’s comment about ‘lower standards of quality’ was a tad insensitive, it is only a television programme and he is entitled to an opinion. Doctor Who sometimes produces poorly written episodes and I have too criticised Moffat more than once. We should just appriciate the fact that Alex spent his free time writing an article just so he can share his views with others, not taking his words to heart. I thought this particular episode was good, but like Alex, I also found faults. It’s human nature to criticise – let it go.

Elle

In response to point 4, I’m fairly certain Rory has never encountered a dalek before, so he doesn’t know that they say “exterminate”. In response to point 7, Rory does have a big nose. Personally I really enjoyed the episode. But, you can have your opinion and I can have mine. Simple as that. However, I don’t think it was necessary to make everyone on tumblr who makes gifs and writes posts about their “feels” sound like idiots. I don’t know if that was your intention, but that’s how it came across to me.

Alexi

I hope you realize that the Daleks used to be humanoid in nature, in old, classic Doctor Who. So, in theory, the chick turning out to be a Dalek could be an underdeveloped Dalek, or one that reverted, or what have you. Point being, if she looked like a normal human, it was probably a Dalek that predated Davros’ interference. I suppose, if you want to get technical, the girl wasn’t a Dalek, she was a Kaled (I know, they weren’t very original with their naming, back in the 60s).

Emily

Why is everyone leaving opinions on Alex’s videos? This is completely unrelated.
Secondly, this video is his opinion, everyone is entitled to one and everyone is free to share their opinion. You can’t go and tell a person their opinion is wrong, because it’s an opinion, it can’t be wrong.
Bringing anyother part of Alex’s career into this is irrelevant, it may be your opinion on it but there is a time and a place (such as commenting on his videos) for that kind of thing. This isn’t the time or the place.
All of you grow up. If Alex didn’t like the episode fine, know that you disagree and move on, don’t cause arguments unnessecarily.

http://twitter.com/DoctorWhoRants Doctor Who Rants

Am I honestly not surprised people are treating this reviewer like someone who had kicked their puppy? No, I am not.

Let’s face it folks: Doctor Who has gone WAY downhill since Moffat took over. If you’re still enjoying it awesome, but you’re in the minority. And if your sole reaction to this is to attack the reviewer personally and to TAKE it personally…you need therapy. Now.

Alison

While most of what you said is reasonable (though maybe not expressed in exactly the best way), one thing you said really bothers me. You said that the Ponds already have a child in River Song. By saying this, you make Rory’s desire to have more children seem selfish and unfair, but it’s anything but. Amy and Rory never got to raise river. They never got to teach her to walk, to talk, to ride a bike. They were never there to tell her bedtime stories, to walk her to her first day of school, to celebrate her losing her first tooth. Hell, Rory never even got to see the real her as a baby. What Rory wants is to have the experience of raising a child, not just to be a sperm donor. And that, I feel, is a perfectly legitimate thing for him to want.

Harry;)

@nerimon:disqus Dinosaurs on a Spaceship looks good (Trailer) I suggest you should watch that episode and if you disliked it you can officially say you’ve gone off doctor who. It’s just that some episodes are good, and some as you’ve said are bad. Which writer did you prefer? Russell or Moffat? And did you like the stories that were complicated or simple? Also if Charlie dislikes it then tell him to watch the next episode to confirm.

“We need hope, in this bitter war… against you!” LOL

Hannah

Yeah. It’s Moffat. I’m waiting until the new writer shows up, so I can get back into my favourite show.

Megan

I think you had very valid points, Alex. I did like the episode (although not as much as I had hoped), and I’m definitely not going to stop watching the show. But I do agree with basically everything you said to some extent. I guess I must have lower standards than you, then. Haha but at least I admit it and I’m fine with it. People in the comments seem to be overreacting…

Tobi

1) I sort of agree. She is sassy and does the things The Doctor can’t but, at the same time she’s not like any of the others. She controls him. She commands him. Rather than The Doctor giving her orders, it’s the other way around. She’s sarcastic and fun. She was USING The Doctor to escape.
2) Rory didn’t know that Amy didn’t know that Rory knew she couldn’t have kids. Rather, Rory thought Amy knew that Rory knew she couldn’t have kids. He thought the she kicked him out for a totally different reason. “They did something to me a Demon Run.” I don’t know how your relationships work but, not all relationships are everything out. It was traumatizing to Amy thus, it doesn’t necessarily mean she told Rory what happened to her.
3) Rory wants to actually RAISE his own kid. He didn’t get to raise River Song. This is also not becoming the main plot. It is merely a back story so Amy and Rory have some other conflicts rather than what The Doctor is doing. It was also pretty much used as filler.
4) Rory had lost the love of his life and he got her back. I’d be jumping everywhere in excitement.
Rory has NEVER met the Daleks before. He does not know what they are, what they want, or any of their kind. He did not know the only thing they say is “Exterminate” in fact he had heard them earlier say a multitude of other things such as, “help.” He was also really freaked out thus, his brain was not working straight. He assumed that the ball shaped things were eggs and the only thing he was hearing was “egg”. That scene was actually logical.
5) After that last encounter they might have decided he was a predator. That’s easy. They upgrade and things change. “What colour?” line was to show that a, Rory was trying to contribute, and b, the writers were remembering the colourful Daleks. There was no real point for The Doctor to answer this. That and The Doctor wasn’t even the one answering the questions. The ones on the ship are the new, upgraded ones. Most likely the ones who came from humans. They were to put up with The Doctor because he was going to help them then they planned to blow him up with the rest of the Daleks on the Asylum. They didn’t expect him to teleport out as the Asylum blew up.
They had a full conversation without The Doctor noticing she was a Dalek because she used to be a human. Now the whole voice thing didn’t make sense to me. However; she was fully converted which means they worked on the technology. That’s obvious and most watchers of Doctor Who are smart enough to catch that without it being told to us.
6) The Doctor didn’t make the Daleks forget him. He actually didn’t know they had forgotten him until he had reintroduced himself. He was confused as to how his life long enemy had not known who “The Doctor” was. The Daleks were chanting “Doctor who? Exterminate!” because exterminating is what they do and since he is unknown they wish to exterminate him. He was spinning around his console excited and screaming “Doctor who?” because he was copying the Daleks. He was copying what they were saying because he was excited that the Daleks had no more reason to upgrade or try to destroy him. They forgot who he was and that made him happy.
7) Rory DOES have a big nose and The Doctor DOES have a big chin. These are opinions. Oswin saw these on her screen and those were the easiest to use to refer to people without name asking. If Amy can see it, Oswin is allowed to see it too.

Sophie

This is just Alex’s opinion on ONE EPISODE of doctor who. If you’re going to get so angry and sensitive over one persons opinion of a TV show, then so be it. But this is all pathetic and an argument that’s not worth having. (Also, something to point out – This is not a forum where you can all list why you unsubscribed to him 3 years or so ago, no one cares)

http://twitter.com/lunahanaki Jahaira Puma

Why are people freaking out so much about this? I’m fairly new to Doctor Who and I didn’t notice the things he talked about till I read this. I loved the new episode but after reading this I see he’s completely correct. I still love the episode and I can see why he wouldn’t. He’s a long-term Doctor who fan, he has a bit more in sight then some other people. Some people just blindly follow Doctor Who. Alex Day isn’t a follower and that’s what I like most about him and his opinions. Thank you Alex for the insight!

thegreengecko

I read this, and I’m not going to unsubscribe (assuming those two things are related, which they’re not). I get that people might not like the way he’s phrased his opinions, or agree with them, but I can see where he’s coming from in some of them. I’m personally very tired of Amy and Rory (seriously, just find him a new companion), but I loved the eggs thing. So this is pretty valid for me.

Gina

Here is my opinion to your opinion, Alex.

Okay, Alex. You can’t say someone has low standards for liking an episode you disliked. It’s just rude and arrogant. And you contradict yourself in the comments when you say everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Personally I liked the episode. Was it my favourite? No. Was it the best start to series 7? Probably not. But I still liked it. Even if I hated it, I wouldn’t give up on it so easily. I would watch the next episode, and if I hated that one, then yes I would stop watching the show altogether.

So, I think you should give the show at least one more chance.

I mean, why are you giving up on a show you claim to love just because you didn’t like one episode. What if the second episode is better? But I suppose you’ll never find out because you’ve stopped watching Doctor Who.

Now, this isn’t me putting you down or anything, I’m just saying give the show one more chance. Maybe Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is better. Maybe that episode will restore your faith in the show.

So, on a final note. Yes, Alex you are entitled to your opinion, as is everyone else. I don’t agree with it, but I don’t think you are wrong. You could have worded it differently, especially the part where you basically said anyone who doesn’t agree with you has bad taste.

http://twitter.com/NowWeAreAllTom Tom Dickinson

I disagree with some of your points here, and agree with others but find them entirely forgivable. But I’m not particularly interested in arguing about it–I love the show, you don’t. That’s fine with me. I just want to disagree about a minor point of fact by pointing out that Rory has never met a Dalek before as far as we know, and would have no reason to know that “Exterminate” is something they say.

Miri

For gods sake people, relax!

Everyones has the right to express his own opinions. Do I agree with everything Alex said/wrote? No. Do I feel the need to unsubscribe because he has a different opinion than I have? No, I own more than 4 T-shirts, still I can enjoy what he does.
And if you’re feeling “attacked” by anything he said/wrote, you should maybe wan to check your self-esteem or whatever. Because if things, said by people who don’t know you, get to you that much, something might be not to good with yourself (and yes I’m smart enough to figure, that you probably will find this offensive as well, but then again, I don’t know you and you don’t know me, so it actually doesn’t or shouldn’t bother you/me to much what the other one thinks about you/me…does that make sense? it sounded reasonable in my head, but I’m not sure anymore)
To all the your videos have gotten worse and you have changed stuff. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS. People change, opinions change (about Doctor Who for example) and so what people do changes. His videos didn’t get worse, Alex and you simply both changed…differently and now the two of you don’t enjoy the same stuff anymore. Things like that happen in life. Instead of complaining about things that have changed and aren’t good enough anymore, doesn’t make your life better, does it? So why don’t we all try to concentrate on the good things that we got from a change?
also, if I made grammar mistakes, please forgive me…I’m a half Dutch, half Italian that grew up in Switzerland, so English isn’t my native language Also I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I just read the comments and thought that everything kind of got out of control…here in Switzerland (and also Germany I think) we say: you made an elephant out of a mosquito. So you make a huge deal out of something, that really isn’t.

Maddy

Although I’m not quite giving up on Doctor Who i was pretty upset with the episode… not as good as I hoped it would be

Eliza

Hi Alex. I’ve watched you for quite a while now, and I really enjoy the content you put out into the world. I also really love your music – both from a solo perspective and also with Chameleon Circuit.
Reading this really did open my eyes. When I first watched the episode, I was all like “omg teh feelz”, because as a teenage girl I feel like it is my duty. I was also extremely excited about the episode, so i skimmed over a lot of the important details which you have now brought to my attention. I agree with your views on pretty well all of this, however to a lesser extent. I will continue to watch Doctor Who, and I will mot likely continue to enjoy it, however I will still hope my views that the days of Russel T. Davies were the best days in the 2005 remake.
I guess this is just saying thank you for opening my eyes, and making me realise how stupidly shallow I’ve been being, assuming that because Moffat wrote the episode the episode will undoubtedly be full of emotions and so utterly fantastic I can’t even control my feelings. This is simply not the case. I know this will probably not even make a difference to your day, but I wanted to put it out there, saying that I agree with you and respect you for having the balls to post this. You have changed my life in may ways, and this is (I think) a perfect example of how you have done that – by being utterly amazing and not afraid to put your opinions out there.
Thank you, Alex.
Please, never stop being you.

Mylii

Oh, ok… i read some comments, i’m going to ignore those and say this:
Alex! First of all, sorry for my bad english, I am from Latin America… btw, I’m agree with you, not in all, but I though that this ep could be way better and with more story… but I think that we have to take our time and see what happened in the coming episodes. (i’m really obssesed with the laks and i hate moffat sometimes because of that…) but well, is a TV show after all and Doctor Who have a lot of new “FANS” around the world nowadays…Moffat could be a brilliant script writter but he still want to earn money seld his story…
In conclusion: it was NOT the WORST episode but either the BEST… just almos an hour of TV…
Well, that’s MY opinion about this article and DW episode.
bye.

ben

Alex said he was fine with people disagreeing with him. That’s what they did. Dunno why all these people are saying it’s a bad thing.

Kris Nelson

Wow, I can only assume this Alex Day has had personal success go to his head. Yes, the soap factor was there – won’t deny that, but the crux of it all was that

SPOILER ALERT……….

Oswin never lost her humanity. She was naturally clever enough to build a dream to keep out the Dalek programming and yet hack into the system. Her sacrifice at the end was a very human act…the Doctor says at the start “Make them remember you” which might have been his usual MO, but he really wishes they wouldn’t for it’s fear of him that makes them grow strong in reaction – so Oswin gives the Doctor his gift of anonymity. I thought it was touching, and for the Amy/Rory story to do what it needed to do in the time it had to give to it, I thought it worked especially well. The Doctor fixes his bow-tie in the beginning which Amy catches him doing on the screen as she sits on the teleport with Rory. She says he can’t fix their relationship like he fixes his bow-tie, but obviously he can – he’s the Doctor, after all.

We are not told this is the new companion – only that there is obviously a reason she plays Oswin – this could be really clever, otherwise it will be another timey-wimey River Song type story line – but we are also told that Oswin went out to the stars for the first time, so that doesn;t match up, does it?a few seconds ago · LikeKris Nelson I think there is more to it all, and Alex Day has become a Dalek.

hatersgunnahate

Hey, Alex. Just saying that I agree with most of your statement, and I’m still watching your videos! I can see your points and respect your opinion. STAY BEAUTIFUL.

Marcelle

Greetings, Alex.

I just wanted to address a few of the points you brought up, rather than the manner in which you made them. (I’ll at least say that I was not entirely pleased by your manner, but if you can’t shake off unpleasantly delivered internet opinions, you might as well just give up on the whole endeavor.)

Firstly, I do agree that Moffat has simply taken advantage of the wave of popularity that DW enjoys. However, if we are going to rake him over the coals for bad writing, it should be for the clumsy writing in season 6. I felt that this episode, even with its warts, is a return to quality. I was very tired of watching what felt like “The River Song Show,” and having to endure painfully cobbled-together plot lines.

The poor writing that I noticed in this episode seemed to me to be the result of the continuation of the worst parts of season 6. I too am disgusted by this final question nosense. Someone thought they were incredibly clever by breaking the fourth wall. I find it dreadfully obnoxious. If you tried to play the Title Drop drinking game in this episode, you would die of alcohol poisoning.
THAT is what strikes me as fan service.

For some of the canon-breaking points, you really should take a look at some of the past doctors. I feel like such a hipster saying that, especially since Matt Smith was my first doctor. Since then, though, I have gone back and watched every classic episode I could get my hands on. (What? I’m a teacher. I have to do SOMETHING while all of my friends work during the summer!) There have been MANY creatures turned into Daleks, not just humans. The Doctor also does NOT always catch things before we do. I would say he catches different things than we do, a bit like Sherlock Holmes, and the difference between the audience and the character is what makes the show compelling. It’s what makes us want to shout at the tv both when no one listens to the doctor, and when he’s being too “alien”. Personally, I like seeing the Doctor lose control of a situation now and then. He’s not infallible. This is why Midnight is one of my favorite new(er) episodes.

I do also feel that you give Rory and Amy WAY more credit than they deserve, as brainiacs. I found that the info-dump broke the experience a bit for me as well, but it was not entirely unrealistic. If we accept the CONSTANT beating of the dead horse known as Does-Amy-Love-the-Doctor-or-Rory that we got in the last season, I think we can accept that they are not great in the communication department. It’s weak, but then that’s why I’m more excited for this season. I LOVED Amy and Rory. I rooted for them. But when a character’s arc is finished, they should leave the show. Those two finished their arc at the end of season 5. There is no more good writing to be done with them, and keeping them around is just a fanservice.

There are more points that I disagree with, but for now, I will just mention that I have no problems with Oswin. We haven’t actually had a real “genius” companion since the classic doctors. The writers have been much more focused on companions with street-smarts or a very shrewd empathy. It’s nice to actually have someone who can compete with the doctor’s brainpower (ex, the Doctor and Romana, or the Doctor and Zoe). Furthermore, we haven’t actually met Oswin. We’ve met her dalekized form. And here’s where the writing actually shines. You think you know this girl. You think you’ve met her, and seen her before, but then you find out that what she is is a flimsy shield constructed to protect herself from her reality. To give up on her so soon is to miss the tragic potential that is to come. When is the doctor going to pick her up? Is he going to break a law of time in order to save her from her fate, or will he have to put her back on the starliner, knowing what her fate will be? Needless to say, I still have high hopes for this season. At this point last year, I could have given you a rough sketch of what the story arc would look like, and, I have to say, most of my predictions were right. Instead, I am excitedly discussing the potentials with my friends, colleagues and students. To me, that is a vast improvement.

There are a few more points I could make, (Rory, btw, is really not that experienced with the Daleks, and perhaps I am just slow, but I had a hard time hearing what that dalek was saying as well) but I will just finish this little novella with a bit of advice for you and your future writing endeavors, Alex. This was a very emotional piece. Abandoning a fandom always is an emotional experience. I will forgive the comments that I found offensive because though you are a great success story, you are still young. So here’s the teacher in me feeling the need to give some advice in communication. When you are feeling emotional, or you want to express something you feel strongly about, go ahead and write it. Vent that spleen. Then leave it alone for an hour or two, go have a pint. Relax with friends. Then come back and read it, give it to a frind to edit, but get some distance between yourself and the subject matter. It’s easier to spot the things that will get people upset that way, and whether you care about being offensive or not, I know from having done the same thing in the past that it is no fun being on the defensive all of the time, and just wishing people would move on.

I still do enjoy your videos, I do respect your right to have an opinion about the show, and if nothing else, despite my disagreements, you did bring up a handful of valid points. I felt that there was a lot of what made the classic Who wonderful in Asylum. Although I am a new fan, I have gone back and seen some of the ups and downs of this wonderful show, and Asylum does not even come CLOSE to some of the hot messes we have seen before. I do hope that you won’t let one writer that doesn’t satisfy to color your whole experience. What makes Doctor Who such a long lasting show is its ability to evolve over time and, if necessary, retcon the hell out of any bad writing.

http://kyprish.chatango.com/ Kyprish

This article is a little harsh. That being said, I can’t say I disagreed with the main points. As I read the article, I thought back on the episode, and had to agree with much of what Alex pointed out. In order for all my thoughts to make sense, I’m going to respond to this article on a point-by-point basis.

1) I agree wholeheartedly. I would really love another Donna-esque character, or even something brand new. Give me a companion or a new character that isn’t perfect! To be fair, Amy and Sally and River are each their own character. They each have “flaws” and traits that distinguish them, and in Sally’s case she barely had time for her current character to be established, so there wasn’t much time for character development. But really, I would love a companion that’s scared, or a little slow to grasp the situation, or even just on the weak side, physically. I would rather have a character built around faults than for the writers to try to make another character built around the same strengths in different ways.

2) I took a Creative Writing class once, because I quite enjoy writing, and this was one of the things I hated most about reading others’ work. It’s just bad. All of that information could have been easily gotten across by one little change in wording: “I’m sorry, I just can’t give you any more kids!” or even, “You deserve to have the family you want!”

3) I understand that Amy and Rory are all grown up or whatever we’re trying to get at here, but I really would appreciate more depth to any Doctor Who human relationship beyond dating > married > having babies. Amy and Rory have the world at their fingertips, have had experienced the universe and history and future, and all they can think to focus on is having more children? And even if that were the case, why couldn’t they simply adopt? Why couldn’t they have a gestational surrogacy? Why is it that the Last Centurion and the Girl Who Waited can only think of two solutions (succeed or end everything) to an issue that has several alternatives?

If the writer simply wanted them to be in a state of impending divorce upon the Doctor’s return, I think that there could– and should– have been more brainstorming as to why.

4) The egg thing with Rory really threw me off. I’ll admit, I didn’t immediately realize they were trying to say “Exterminate!,” but I did think Rory was being an idiot when he tried to offer the Dalek an “egg.” In that strange situation, however, I could see how he might not know what else to do. I did love that they worked it up into “Exterminate!,” though. That was clever.

5) I was totally confused about the Dalek’s colors. I was wondering why they were old Dalek colors for the entire episode, and why they referred to the Doctor as the Predator. I think that should have had more of an explanation.

As to the conversion of Oswin, I believe that was totally unbelievable. First of all, the converting factor was mindless– there are no Daleks running around the planet picking who they convert and how much, it’s a swarm of millions of nanobots that convert, as we were led to believe, everything of organic matter. One would assume that every conversion would be to the same degree. Second, it’s not like this planet is the breeding grounds for new Daleks; it’s an asylum. Why would the Dalek army come looking for new converted Daleks on that planet at all? Obviously they do, otherwise they wouldn’t have had the woman that led the Doctor to the Daleks. And in that same vein, how did they collect that woman, anyway, if the shield could only be shut off from inside the planet itself? Plot holes, plot holes.

6) I disagree that reintroducing himself made that much of a difference, to be fair. It’d be like if Hitler forgot what the Jews were, and then a Jewish man said, “Oh, by the way, I’m Jewish.” Hitler would just be like, “Okay? … This means nothing to me.” Well, except that as Daleks, they wanted to kill the Doctor anyway, just because he’s not a Dalek. They may not forget his name, but they have forgotten everything significant about that name, and all the history they had with him. They’ve forgotten he’s a Time Lord, and that he can regenerate, and what the TARDIS is. I’m looking forward to the Doctor’s next encounter with the Daleks.

7) Matter of perspective, in my opinion. Matt Smith does have a strong chin; whether you take that to mean “big” or whatever else depends on the person. Personally, I don’t pay that much attention to his chin, so I don’t see it as large either; I think that the writers were trying to find something cute and funny for Oswin to tease him about, and since she really only seemed to look at his face, their options were limited.

All of this critique taken into consideration, I will certainly be continuing to watch the show. I was, and still am, excited to see what the coming season has to offer, and I acknowledge that every show, and every season, has less-than-satisfactory episodes. As for your decision to discontinue following the series, @nerimon:disqus, I hope that you are able to find new shows and new inspirations for your mind and music Your decision need not affect mine, or vice versa, and as always I wish you the best.

On a side note, I don’t see what any of this has to do with Alex’s past music or inspirations. We find inspiration in what we know and love at the time, and I’m sure that whatever Alex may feel about current and future episodes, his love for past episodes remains the same. Whether he decides to end/leave Chameleon Circuit is up to him entirely, and it would be sad to see that end, but to be blunt, he’s a musician. Making music is what he does, and he does it well; I doubt that this is the end of his career, and I personally find it offensive on his behalf that anyone would make attacks on his personality and his videos/music just because they disagree with his opinions.

Oh, also, DFTBA.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ratsrox?feature=mhum Ratsy

I would have to say that I agree with you, to an extent. Everyone else seems to have loved the episode but, in my opinion, it was ok. Not awful, but certainly not something to write home about.

My particular problem was with the character of Oswin, as you mentioned above. She’s essentially the same character as Amy and River, but to me lacked their little quirks which make me like them, and with an annoyingly big head. Her repeatedly over-familiar manner with Rory and the Doctor combined with her describing herself as ‘a genuis’ and ‘sexy’ didn’t make me warm to her character at all. It in fact made me dislike her all the more. Why couldn’t Moffat have taken this as an opportunity to give us something different from the Pond?

I also share your qualms about the whole Pond reconciliation scene. To me it just seemed to be fixed too quickly given the massive issue that has come between them. Normally I have no problem with a bit of cheese, but the five minute long kiss preventing them from teleporting just seemed like too much.

However, I didn’t hate the episode. While I feel like it could have been significantly better, I think that my problem with it was that it felt more like a middle of the series episode, like Curse of the Black Spot was in the last series. It wasn’t grand enough, and to me it didn’t introduce enough new ideas to make me feel really drawn into the series. At times it also just seemed a little too gimmicky and dumbed down.

Essentially, while it hasn’t made me lose complete faith in the series and not want to watch it any more, it equally hasn’t enticed me into speculating as to what will happen later in the series.

On the other hand, the next episode does look good. xD

Jessica

My brother and I woke up at 5:00am to be the some of the first people in our state to see it, because the second it was uploaded online we watched it five times. I LOVED IT SO MUCH! I think the plot and dialogue was cool and witty. I very much enjoyed it.

Amy

To be honest, the thing that offends me about this article isn’t Alex’s opinion (which, although I don’t agree with, I respect), but more the fact that the way he puts his argument across is insulting. This has been mentioned a lot in previous comments, because, frankly, saying someone has “lower standards of quality” than you is arrogant and rude.

Obviously this is the main cause of debate, as many people have been insulted by it, but Alex’s reply in the comments was no less insulting- “everyone else is on the ground and I’m lost in a bubble somewhere floating around not having a clue what’s going on”.

I’m sorry, but that’s just as patronising and arrogant as his original comment. By saying this, he’s implying that all us lesser mortals are stuck on the ground while he floats above us in his oh-so-enlightened state wondering where we all went wrong. From the article, and his replies to comments, his attitude seems to be: ‘They’re all wrong, I know more about quality than them because I’m extra picky while they’re blissfully unaware of all these flaws. Oh the burdens of having such high standards…’

No wonder people are offended! I read this article with an open mind, having enjoyed the episode but feeling open to others’ opinions. I finished it feeling slightly put out, and I’m not the only one, clearly. He essentially told us that regardless of our own reasons, any opinion that disagreed with his is WRONG, and that we are blinded by our “lower standards”. He’s saying that we don’t have any idea of true quality, that our opinions are worthless!

That’s not okay, Alex.

http://www.facebook.com/Doctorwhoobawooba Sam Shields

1. I don’t rmember Sally Sparrow being like that, mainly as she wasn’t around long enough to be explored that well, and Amy isn’t that teasy and flirty, nor is she capable of doing much the Doctor can’t. She’s a companion for a reason!
5. The daleks have covnerted humans a few times at-least before in the series, get your facts right when discussing all things dalek!
Other points are valid if a bit over-dramatisized maybe.

Bethanol

I agree with some of your points, I dont like the repetition. I thought that Amy and Rory getting a divorce was unnecessary, since they got back together in the same episode, and the reason they split up was stupid; an apparent lack of communication, and unawareness of other methods of getting a child, e.g. adoption. I never really liked Matt Smith as the Doctor, he is too childish :/

This is ridiculous. I understand people finding the “you obviously have lower standards than me” line harsh. It was. Maybe in a video it would have been a funny throw away line but for an op-ed its unnecessarily condescending and controversial.
Now we’re sharing how Nerimon hurt our feelings rather than examining the actual tv show in question. Again I get why everyone is upset. It was a rude thing to write and kind of besides the point.
But people being outraged that he simply didn’t like the new episode? What would you have preferred…that he keep his mouth shut and pretended to still watch doctor who? I feel like a lot of you feel betrayed that the creator of “trock” doesn’t want to watch the show anymore.
Well fandoms aren’t cults. Art is meant to be debated and discussed. Our opinions on it, art, should evolve. Nerimon’s did. He is entitled to it. While I didn’t totally hate the asylum of the daleks, Alex had many valid complaints about the episode.

Also, this isn’t Alex Day Subscribers Therapy Time. Don’t bring your Nerimon baggage into the discussion of Doctor Who or even the article.

Amy

Alex, I totally agree with everything you said! I think all the new series are awful, I love sherlock but i think since Moffat has been the main writer the show’s been awful. I think you should do another Chameleon Circuit album about Nine&Rose, you could call it ‘Bad Wolf’

Juliet

Seriously. STANDARDS?! You release shit song after shit song quite simply because you aren’t satisfied with the amount of fame you have. Like the fans who stood by you for years aren’t good enough anymore. But yet, you still have the audacity to criticise a show for making one sub-standard episode. Yes, it wasn’t as good as the rest of the episodes. It was a filler. It’s a popular show and they have to reach a certain amount of episodes for a series.
I didn’t even like DW that much anymore, but I watched all the Matt Smith series over the past couple of days so I could have an informed opinion and I was impressed. I thought it would just go downhill after Tenant, but it maintained and often surpassed those standards. Something you consistently fail to do.
Your albums were good. They’d had work and time put into them. Forever Yours, a campaign which I whole-heartedly supported, was a fun and catchy song. It kinda pissed me off how you decided to release all those remixes, but they were good and I supported you. I started to turn when you released Lady Godiva, a rather shabby cover of a song, with countless shit ‘remixes’. I bought it and a remix anyway because I guess I felt pressured. You also failed to give appropriate credit to the original creators of the song. Your 3 singles were OK. You sort of won me over with them, but now, I just can’t say how I feel, but it isn’t good.
I have spent time and money supporting you and your music. You are throwing it all away. When Tom Milsom spoke out against you, you just stomped him down and got your ‘nermie army’ on him. At least he puts effort into what he does. You’ve pushed me away with your bullshit. There is one word to describe you, Mr Day: CUNT. Your attitude also rubs off on others. I now feel like a cunt because this is really mean but I need to say it. You should take a look at yourself before you begin spouting crap about ‘sub-standard’ work.
-Juliet, let down like, apparently, so many others.

everen

Wow, what an unnecessarily hateful pile of words. Really, calling someone a cunt because they criticise an episode of a show they love and feel let down by it? I think you need to take a look at anything that isn’t the internet. Also, bringing Alex’s (good!) work into it is horrible and completely not needed. I’m a really, really casual fan of Alex’s (I have ONE CC track, I have watched at most, 30 of his videos ever) but I still have basic respect for the guy, jesus christ.

Juliet

I’m sorry. I really could have worded that better. I wasn’t angry at him because he felt let down. I was angry because he seems unfazed by how much he is letting other people down. It just made me angry how I saw how much the criticism in this article reflected the way I feel about him. I was out of line. I really do genuinely apologise.

Megan

I am actually rather offended that if a woman is ‘intelligent and confident’ she is automatically the ‘same.’ I’m sorry did we break your stereotype of being meak ornaments who do as they are told? So the characters have a bit of a backbone, they would be dull if they didn’t. Sally was more reserved, Amy is more headstrong, River is more outrageous and Oswin in quirkier. They have distinctive personalities.
I think that particular point is rather sexist.

Evren

Actually, (although I would hate to speak for Alex) I think what he may have been trying to say – along with countless others who have this self same criticism – that all these characters actually _aren’t_ strong. They’re caricature, Strong Female Characters(tm) who are presented as such but constantly sacrifice their autonomy and basically function as fetish fuel for people like Moffat. For example, Amy and River Song both constantly fit the damsel in distress trope and River Song (along with Oswin, Rose’s alternate timeline, Donna’s memory wipe) all die or are Put On A Bus.

Mordeus

1. How about Zoe, Liz Shaw, Romana, Nyssa, Martha or at times Rose? These women also fit the exact same description you are complaining about. It’s quite easy to strip a person back to very basic adjectives whilst ignoring the qualities that make them unique. You may criticise Moffat for stereotyped portrayal of women, but you are doing no favours by reducing them even further.

2+3. It’s pretty obvious that Amy’s admission was news to Rory, just look how dumbfounded he was. Besides how do you expect Rory to know what is going on with Amy’s uterus if she is too ashamed to tell him. Try and put yourself in the shoes of a woman who is either suffering from postnatal depression or PTSD. They often internalize everything and place the blame squarely on themselves. It’s not just the issue of infertility but the whole violating experience she suffered at Demon’s Run. When people experience situations of extreme trauma one way of coping is by repeating the incident under circumstances of their own control. However Amy will never have another normal pregnancy and she sees herself as damaged goods. The mental health profile of Amy isn’t new, remember she is the one who latched onto the memory of the Doctor for 20 so years and remember that she is the one who ran away on the night of her wedding? This girl has a predisposition for bouts of extreme anxiety.

4. So you want more soap opera or less? You can’t complain about the soap opera plot and then demand for more detail of the soap opera plot. Besides there was sufficient backstory to Rory’s desire to settle down and have kids, remember when Amy experienced first hand Rory’s fantasy life in Amy’s Choice? That’s what you call foreshadowing.

5. You do realize that it’s been probably a couple of hundred years since we last saw the New Paradigm Daleks from Victory of the Daleks. This show doesn’t move in real time but jumps ahead quite liberally. Besides this is really the first time the Doctor has ever worked for the Daleks and got to know a Dalek on an intimate level, so it’s not unreasonable to think that he might be privy to some knowledge of their culture that he wasn’t before.

As for Oswin, the reason why they converted her was because they required a leader with the potential for genius. The majority of the Asylum Daleks were from the Davros faction who were raised to serve under a dictator. They need a “Davros” figure to order them around. Not to mention that the Davros faction are pretty much sterile, as shown with the Ironsides of Victory of the Daleks. They need either a Progenitor Device or the harvesting of organic matter to replicate. They did this in the classic episode of Revelation of the Daleks, where Davros was using human corpses to create more Daleks. And the human puppet Daleks were first introduced back in the 60s. You complain about a lack of continuity but you are so shortsighted that you don’t even know that Moffat is paying tribute to the show’s deepest continuity.

6. You obviously missed the point of the meta quote of “Doctor Who”. It is playing into the greater story arc of the 11th Doctor. When the oldest question in the universe is asked then it will lead to the fall of the 11th. It’s blatantly shown that Moffat is leading up to a resolution where the more times the question is asked, the sooner we will get to the fall of the 11th. It’s really no different from RTD’s use of buzzwords like “Bad Wolf”, “Torchwood”, “Mr Saxon” or the bees are disappearing or he will knock three times. Except Moffat is taking it to the next level by bridging multiple seasons under the story arc.

7. The Doctor is a big boy, he can take the playful banter.

It sounds like you aren’t much of a Doctor Who fan as you are a RTD fan. Best stick to your repeats of series 1-4, and leave the 50 years worth of episodes to those who can accept change. AOTD may not have been the best thing ever, but I’d take it over farting aliens, aliens with bad Fat Bastard impersonations, female companions who are ready to commit global suicide, Tinkerbell Space Jesus incarnations of the Doctor, Dobby the House-elf Doctor, Sith Lord The Master on red cordial or seasons that end with cop out resolutions (series 1′s Bad Wolf Rose, series 2′s magic dimension switch, series 3′s time reset switch, series 4′s Dalek empire self destruct switch, the special’s Time Lock that resets when shot). The show hasn’t been this good since the Tom Baker years.

Evren

So I really agree with this, and came by this article via a post by people who are sick of Moffat’s BS. Reading through the comments it seems Alex is being attacked by people for DARING TO HAVE AN OPINION ON MOFFAT’S DW NOT BEING PERFECT, oh nooooes. Hopefully this won’t get him (or anyone else reading it who thought ‘yep, I agree with this’) down. I also hope you don’t get a flood of people unsubscribing and whining about it, because that’s pretty darn immature.

John

‘OMG I IMMEDIATELY REJECT ALL NEGATIVE CRITICISM ABOUT ANYTHING EVAR’ – the people commenting here. I was annoyed with that episode and I agree with Alex. Just reading this article Reminded me of my frustration with the lost potential in the new doctor who. Peace out

http://www.facebook.com/jaslyn.in.the.tardis Jaslyn Gray

First and foremost I’d like to state that I did enjoy this episode on a whole (important to note), did I generically enjoy it in the pure excitement that Doctor Who is back on television or the episode itself/storyline?…mostly the first. To me the doctor is still being the doctor and as Alex acknowledged their are some wonderful moments in this episode.

Now to get serious, I had been alerted by friends that Alex Day had wrote an article “bagging out” the new episode. In my surprise, came here to actually read it. What he has said here is his opinion, and I believe much of what is written to be true.

I agree that the storyline was disjointed, all these Daleks have suddenly “appeared” out of nowhere, okay, fine…I guess, but it isn’t just a few Dalek….it’s a whole fleet of them…anyway. It was centred around Amy and Rory and attempting to fill in all the details that had been left out (with the information dumps- I personally think this could have been covered in the pond life episodes). Rory was made out to be stupid, when Moffat should give him the respect the character deserves, and I even found the end a bit ridiculous….So the Daleks are and always have been the doctors biggest enemy and now they suddenly can be reprogrammed to forget about him…I’m sorry…what? It seemed like a backdoor exit technique. I could deal with the other flaws and inconsistencies because this is Doctor Who and I love it; all fandom aside, I do agree this is not the best episode I’ve seen.

As doctor who popularity has increases it can be said that there is a far more commercial and fandom direction of the show. Talking to a friend the other day we agreed that, “It is no longer about the doctor in the TARDIS”, it is now a mixture of complex intertwining storylines and character inter-relationships. Will this cause me to stop watching the show? No. Do I have a problem with Alex saying he will not watch it? also, no.

I feel that a lot of the comments here (that I have read through) are a combination of people retaliating towards Alex and his opinion and statements of “I supported you, now I have unsubscribed from you on youtube”, okay cool…whatever, and he said below, he has no problem with this. I’ve followed Alex Day for some time and I will not unsubscribe because he expressed his OPINION on the internet, he has the freedom of speech just like anyone else here. Chameleon Circuit is also a wonderful band who have done what they needed to do to succeed, they have not exploited anything or anyone and the people who choose to like/buy their music (such as myself) do so by choice.

Okay, to summarise I feel that there are an awful lot of harsh, hate comments being thrown around here, specifically towards Alex and his opinion he expressed in this article. People can say what they like but just remember he has he right to say what he likes too. Which is something he frequently does in his videos, in the manner which he chooses to do so (rude jokes included) this is Alex, if you don’t like it go elsewhere, but don’t accuse him of ‘changing’ or ‘selling out’, let him be Alex. I will be watching Doctor Who this week with ‘Dinosaurs on a Spaceship’- in fact I am looking forward to it. Will I be able to find flaws in the episode?, probably. Will I write about it?, would it matter: the only difference between me and Alex is he has a fan base and an English accent, yet if I wrote an article voicing my disappointment it would not get the attention that this has.

So people, let others have an opinion, let us all have the discussion about the show and in the end it is Doctor Who, you either stay by it or you don’t and in the end….as much as we often don’t like to admit it, it is only a television program.

DFTBA everyone (Don’t Forget to Be Awesome for the Non-Nerdfighters)

MichaB

Oh boy, people seem really pissed that they have different standards than you… I’m not sure why they take that as an insult, as they are each different people and don’t automatically have the same thoughts as you, but ah well.

Excellent article. I think I’m finally giving up on DW too. At least until Moffat is no longer the showrunner. I just can’t stand the shit I am put through anymore watching it; I don’t need any more bad things in my life, especially when I can avoid them entirely. No need to put myself in harms way, honestly.

Juliet

Just saying, but he didn’t say ‘different’ he said ‘lower’. That’s incredibly condescending.

Nora

First of all, I’d like to say thank you so much for writing this, Mr. Day. After spending much time on Tumblr, seeing all the “feels” posts and GIFs, I felt that this change of opinion was necessary for my system.
I must add that in spite of what I just said, I fairly enjoyed the episode. I understand that it had plot holes and repeated dialogue, but here’s what I think: I think that since it’s the 50th Anniversary season, Moffat’s trying to bring back parts of past episodes to make it a big schmorgasboard of Doctor Who favourites. The audience obviously liked the ending of Series 6, so he added that. But I can see how that can aggravate some people, for example, you.
Since I’ve read this text, you’ve given me a partially different perspective on this episode. I still feel that it was good, Rory seemed a bit dim to me, if you will, but it was good. I strongly hope that you at least watch the next episode, and your opinion will change on it if the second episode is better, though I understand why you would choose not to.
This article does not change my opinion of you or your videos in any way. You rarely even talk about the show in your vlogs any more, so it won’t make a difference at all. I’m really, really glad I read this though, because I miss your blog posts! I think you’re an excellent writer and you express your opinions well, and don’t do it to an extent where you shove it down one’s throat. If you publish your book about the tube, I’ll be very happy to read it once it’s released.
Until then, thank you so much again, and warmest wishes.

Amy

Well, that was quite the loaded blog post. And the only one that I semi agree with you on is #1…I’ve had the same thoughts about that but the fact we don’t KNOW what the rest of Oswin’s story is doesn’t give us the ability to critique it yet. Every single companion since back whenever has done something the Doctor couldn’t or didn’t do. That’s the point of being a companion. You must bring something to the table, your own uniqueness, if you will.
On #2 – I just outright disagree with you on that. Apparently you don’t know women very well. Or people. Sometimes, even if someone says “I know”, a person, especially a woman, will go on and finish explaining it even if they’ve already been told they know. We feel the neccessity to get things off our chest and hear them spoken alloud. Women are more verbally and communicatively minded than men.
#3 – Urm, there’s only 5 episodes of the Ponds left. I don’t think that they’re going to cram them having kids into those. And we haven’t actually done a story of the Ponds having kids. Amy got pregnant and was locked up, sub-conciously operating a fake version of herself all through her pregnancy. And the other time when they had that weird shifting universes thing…you’re not actually going to count that one, are you? Amy was 9 months pregnant for half of the episode and never actually had a baby. And btw, there’s nothing wrong with them having kids. They’ve never actually gotten to have children. River was taken away from them and raised to adulthood before they even got the chance to hold her for more than a few hours. You’ve obviously never been a parent before either.
#4 – Ever heard of adoption? It’s a possiblity, you know. And also, the Rory punching the air thing? Maybe he’s happy to be back with the woman he loves, you ever think of that? Maybe, since he obviosly already knew about the fact Amy couldn’t have kids, it doesn’t matter to him as much as Amy thinks it does. Maybe Amy and spending the rest of his life with her matters more. Oh yes, and the eggs? It seemed like a logical circumstance to me to hear the Daleks say eggs, especially if you haven’t been around them ver much like Rory hasn’t. I didn’t get the exterminate thing until after the whole word came out.
#5 – It is possible that storylines could be wrapped up in future episodes. Strange and odd things have happened before only to be explained to perfection in the future.
#6 – I have something to say on this as well, but I admit I can’t quite figure out how to put it into words. so I’m not going to try.
#7 – Matt Smith does have a bit of an interesting chin. And Arthur Darvill does have a bit of an interestingly shaped nose. It’s called giving the audience something they can indentify with with the new companion. (Do you remember back at the last regeneration? “Eyes, hair, nose, chin….blimey”. Obviously, the Doctor has an opinion on his chin, or at least he did.

Rachel

I’m getting slightly depressed by these comments. Although I don’t entirely agree with everything Alex said in this video, I don’t feel the need to unsubscribe him for this reason alone. I also have noticed the decrease in his video quality, but as they were very high quality to begin with, I don’t believe that it is a big enough difference to unsubscribe. I don’t understand why everybody is getting so offensive about one article soley expressing Alex’s opinions on the new episode. I did think that he was being slightly “high on his horse” by saying people have lower standards, but after reading some of his and others comments see his reasoning behind this comment, and also see that he wasn’t trying to be high and mighty. I do disagree with some of Alex’s points, but I also disagree with some of the opinions of the people commenting here, and although opinions are here to be discussed, I don’t quite understand why people are going to such lengths to either disprove or put down Alex Day for expressing his opinion. In no way do I mean to offend anyone by writing this comment, and if I did I’m sorry. I will not be unsubscribing Alex Day unless I see a more significant decline in his video quality. Like some of you I am irritated by the constant advertisement of his stuff. It is fine to advertise periodically I don’t want to be almost persuaded to buy something every video. I do enjoy your music Alex and would love to stay informed on new songs on your main channel. But I personally think that maybe a third channel (please don’t put any ads on NermieArmyHQ) would help to decrease the amount of people complaining about your constant self-advertising on your main channel. Again, I don’t mean to offend anyone here. And Alex, I still love you and your music and your videos, but I think that you have changed which is fine, but try to stay true to yourself and what you started everything for, because without your original motivation everything is pointless. And I’m not unsubscribing, just please try to keep the advertising for things other tahn music spare, please, just a request, not a demand.